Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger
by TheCamdog9
Summary: Zac Blakely goes on a new adventure. But not in the way that he thinks. Instead of joining his mermaid sister and friends, he is traveling to Amber Beach to discover what this strange light blue stone he found at Mako Island has to do with dinosaurs. Zac's double life of being a human and a merman is about to get more complicated as he soon becomes the new Aqua Power Ranger.
1. Chapter 1: Mako's Other Power Source

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Welcome everyone to my first story! I have read many amazing stories on this site and thought about stories that I have been dreaming up that no one has thought of yet, or people have thought of them but have not written/published them. I for a long time was in the second category, but I have decided to start writing down the stories I have been thinking about for a while. My first story is based on an idea that I have recently thought up.**

 **I have recently watched Mako Mermaids on Netflix and personally, I find this a better show than H2O: Just Add Water in my opinion. Mainly this has to do with the character of Zac. I liked the mermaid/merman dynamic and that we are dealing with real mermaids instead of three girls who gain mermaid powers. Yes this show is mainly for kids/teenagers and there are cheesy moments in it, but I just find it a guilty pleasure. Power Rangers is a series that I have been a fan of for a while. Even though in recent years the show has not been the same like it was growing up. Then Dino Charge came along and it was a breath of fresh air. Is it the best season? No, but I still really enjoyed it. The characters were well written, the villains were entertaining, and it wasn't just a translation of the Super Sentai version.**

 **I have read some Power Rangers/H2O crossovers and I was surprised that no one has done this with the Mako Mermaids cast. This may be a great idea, or just a crazy idea that I only care for, but I won't know that until I post this story.**

 **As you could tell by the title, Zac is the main character and he is taking James Navarro's (Red Ranger's dad) place as the Aqua Ranger. I never really liked the Dad Power Ranger part of his character and the fact that despite being a Ranger, he, along with Prince Phillip, were barely there and they never felt like part of the team like the others were. So I am going to use James in a different way and give Prince Phillip more screen time so that he is not just "Sir Cameo" as Linkara mentioned in his review. (Seriously, go watch Linkara's History of Power Rangers videos. They are awesome.)**

 **I am starting this chapter with a prologue for those who have not watched Mako Mermaids and it will serve as a recap of the three seasons. Then chapter 1 will start 3 months after season 3, where I will make some changes to Zac's backstory and powers, but it will mostly stick to the TV version. Then the Power Rangers cast will start coming in chapter 5 when Zac actually goes to Amber Beach for the majority of the story.**

 **Again this is my first story so please bare with me. Reviews are always appreciated and if there are any questions or anything you want to see/read, leave me a message/review and I will read them over. Thanks and enjoy!**

Prologue:

Zac Blakely isn't a typical person. In fact, he isn't even human. He is a merman. He thought he was human, since he grew up on land with the Blakelys as their son. That all changed during a camping trip on Mako Island where he discovered a secret chamber where upon entering, fell into a strange pool below during the full moon and became a merman. He found it weird at first, with the fact that anytime water touched him he grew a tail 10 seconds later. But he soon got use to it and the fact that he developed powers as well, such as controlling water, invisibility, freezing water, boiling water (which was very useful for drying his tail), and other sorts of magic. He at first only told his best friend, Cam, about this, but then these strange three girls, Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena, discovered his secret as well. He thought he could trust them, but discovered that they were actually mermaids who were tasked with taking his powers away, especially since he discovered a mysterious trident in the same chamber he fell through. Trusting no one except Cam now, he got the trident and started to discover its power, but realized that the trident should not be used after he accidentally injured Lyla. He had the three mermaids hide the trident, but somehow Cam got his hands on it and tried to become a merman himself during the full moon, but Zac and the mermaids stopped him by destroying the trident, thus gaining the girls' trust and friendship.

Lyla and Nixie left after this to find a new home and two new mermaids, Mimmi and Ordina, decided to try to take away his powers. (Seriously did Zac destroying the trident not prove to the mermaids that he was friendly and not a threat?) They trapped him in the moon pool to take away his powers, but his girlfriend, Evie, intervened, only to become a mermaid herself, much to her horror at first but then enjoying it. He found another chamber on Mako Island and another merman, Erik, and started a whole new adventure. When in the chamber on the full moon with Erik, trying to discover the chamber's power, through Rita, his school principal and fellow mermaid, he discovered that he was not a land boy with merman powers, he was a natural born merman, and on top of that, Mimmi was his twin sister (I know the show creator said she was older, but I want them to be twins, other fanfictions use this and this works better really). He was shocked to say the least and at first refused to acknowledge it since it seemed that his whole life was a lie, but finally accepted it and let Mimmi into his life as his sister and decided not to activate the merman chamber. But Erik had other plans and found the crystal from the destroyed trident and tried activating it himself, thus slowly stealing the mermaids' powers and lifeforces, but Zac sacrificed himself to stop it, at the cost of his life and powers. But Mimmi and Evie used the last of the crystal's power to bring him back.

Recently, after Sirena left with her sister and a new mermaid, Weilan, came to the Gold Coast, a water dragon arrived which threatened the extinction of all mermaids, Zac and the gang tried to find a way to destroy it. Zac learned defensive powers from Weilan, but that backfired when Evie tried to save him but costed her mermaid tail permanently. The gang discovered that the dragon was really Zac and Mimmi's mother, Nerissa, under a curse and they found a ancient bracelet that broke the spell and reunited the family together.

This is Zac's story up to today, and Zac is about to go on another adventure, but not in the way that he wants to….

Chapter 1: Mako's Other Power Source

Zac sat at the dock near his parents' house looking out to the ocean. It has been 3 months since the stuff with the water dragon. Weilan returned to Shanghai, Ordina returned with the pod to Mako Island, and Mimmi was getting reacquainted with their long lost mother. Zac sighed. Ever since Nerissa…his birth mother returned, his life has taken a complete 180. He tried to get reacquainted with her like Mimmi, but that was easier said than done. She wanted both him and Mimmi to come back with her to the northern pod to reestablish their royal birthright (a fact that he found shocking) and leave his land life behind. He was angry to say the least. She thinks that because she has returned, she can worm her way back into his life and take him away from everything and everyone that he loved? She was the one who abandoned him on a beach for his adoptive parents to find. And to make matters worse, Mimmi was on her side. His own twin sister. He understood that because of the bond that he and Mimmi shared since they discovered their origins and both of this powers grew and depended on each other that they should not be separated, but Zac thought there should have been another way. But Nerissa said that there was no other way.

Zac sighed again. He has not really spoken to his mother since then. She has tried to talk to him, but he always avoided her no matter what. He only talked with Mimmi, only because she was his twin, and because of their bond, it was hard to stay separated for long. She at least after that conversation understood his viewpoint, but also wanted to be with her mother. So unfortunately she was stuck in the middle of this whole situation. She promised not to bring it up with him unless he mentioned it, and he really appreciated that. They still went on swims together around Mako and enjoyed each others company. Zac tried to talk to Evie and Cam about his troubles, but since they weren't of his kind (especially now that Evie lost her tail) it was hard for them to relate and help him in anyway. Mimmi was the only one that seemed to give him the best advice.

He couldn't really talk to his parents about any of this either. Yes, he did share his merman secret with them after releasing Nerissa from the water dragon curse like he promised he would. Were they shocked? Absolutely. It never occurred to them in their wildest dreams that the boy they found on the beach front all those years ago was really a merman. At least they know understand why he was being so secretive. It took some time for them to get used to the idea that their son was really a merman, but they still loved him for who he really was. They did meet Nerissa and had many questions for her, mainly why she left her son on a beach for humans to find. Nerissa was very grateful for his parents raising him while she couldn't, but her saying that she had to take him back to her home did not sit well with them, as well as were in shock over Zac being a prince through his birth father. His dad shouted to her how Zac may not be his son in blood, but he is still his son and Nerissa can't just take him away from his family. His mom cried about her baby was being taken away from her. Luckily Zac stepped in to make Nerissa leave so that he could calm his family down. When Nerissa left them in peace, Zac explained that he and Mimmi may be secret royals, that did not mean that he was going to abandon his family. His mom was definitely delighted to hear that. His dad wanted to call the police over Nerissa, but Zac reminded him that she was a mermaid, a powerful one at that, and that would lead to nowhere. Zac said that he would deal with Nerissa and they did not have to worry. So if there was royal drama with his birth mother and sister, he did not really bring it up to them so that they would get upset.

"Why does this have to be happening to me?" Zac thought. He looked out to the sea again. It always seemed to calm him, especially during his swims. He stood up, looking back at his parents' house. Sighing, he turned around and walked to the edge of the dock and dove into the water, letting the transformation take place and swam out to Mako. He needed some alone time to himself.

Coming up to the moon pool, he broke the water's surface and looked around, seeing that he was alone. The other mermaids must be with the pod somewhere off the coast of Mako Island at the moment. He hoisted himself onto the edge of the pool and used his powers to dry himself off. He stood up and looked around. He never really saw the whole moon pool chamber in all of its glory, since he was usually in here with other mermaids and not by himself. Luckily, due to his past actions, the mermaid pod allowed him into their pod and access to all of Mako Island. He walked around looking at all of the markings on the wall.

He stopped when he noticed a weird marking in the back of the chamber. He bent down and observed it more closely. To him, it looked like fossil marks. He ran his hand over them, brushed his fingers against them slowly to the right. Then suddenly part of the rock broke off, showing more of the fossil, in particular it's head. "This looks like a dinosaur fossil," Zac thought. "What's a dinosaur fossil doing on Mako?" Just then, he noticed something glowing near the tip of the dinosaur's mouth. It was light blue in color and small, looking like a small stone. He brushed his fingers against the stone, accidentally loosening it and the stone fell to the ground. He picked it up, examining it closely. It was weird, it felt like a little bit of power was radiating through him as soon as he picked it up. "Is this another power source for Mako?" he thought. He put the stone in his pocket and decided that he should go to Rita's grotto and get some answers for it. He also heard his stomach start to grumble. "Maybe I should go get something to eat first." he thought. Chuckling to himself, he dove back into the water and sped swam to the Cafe, not knowing that something strange was about to happen to him.


	2. Chapter 2: Chosen

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Questions that you might ask but I will answer them before they are asked: 1. Why is Zac a prince? Ok, this was not part of Mako Mermaids so this bit is AU. I am basing this off of other Mako Mermaids fan fiction where Zac and Mimmi are descended from royalty. Also this gives a better excuse for why Zac's birth mother** **abandoned him and Mimmi so that they could be protected and later she would return to bring them hold to rule over the pod. But she did not expect Zac to fight her on this. So Zac is at odds with this part of the revelation and is battling with himself if he really wants to abandon his human life to the ocean life permanently. 2. How did the Aqua Energem get on Mako Island? Well, this does differ from where it was found in Dino Charge but I am just going to say that the Ankylosaurus who originally had it was running away from the asteroids that killed all of the dinosaurs, it tried to escape in the ocean and died there where Mako Island was eventually formed. Besides, the Purple Energem was found in the Austrailia/New Zealand area anyway so it is not that far of a stretch.**

 **If you have any questions, please go ahead and ask them. I will answer them all. Please review.**

Chapter 2: Chosen

Zac broke the surface of the water near a secluded part of the beach near the Cafe. He dragged himself onto the sand and steamed his tail dry. Getting his legs back, he stood up and walked to the main part of the beach near the Cafe. He spotted Cam in the lifeguard chair and ran over to him.

"Ah, the prince returns." Cam said, smirking. Zac instantly gave him a glare. "Sorry, just trying to make you crack a smile." "You know that I don't like talking about that, Cam. I don't want to be dragged into that crazy situation." said Zac. Cam folded his arms and stared at Zac. "When is this going to get through that thick skull of yours? This is something you should embrace. King of the sea. Great title by the way, if I do say so myself. I would love to be in your shoes..ah..fins." Zac gave him a sterner glare. "Don't push it. And besides, there is nothing to embrace about it. You know it means that I have to give up everything here, even ever seeing you again." Zac said. Cam's smile broke and he looked down at his feet. "Sorry, man." Zac gave Cam a sad smile and put his hand on Cam's shoulder. "It's ok. I was just heading up to the Cafe for something to eat. Want to join?" "My shift is over in 15 minutes, so that sounds like a plan. Besides, I want to visit Carly anyway." Cam said. "Great. I'll hand out here with you while I wait." Zac said.

They both started to walk toward the lifeguard stand when suddenly they heard a woman shouting. "Help, my son hasn't come back from the water. I don't see him out there. Please somebody help!" Zac and Cam turned around and Cam ran to the woman saying, "Where did you see him last?" The woman turned around and looked at Cam. "Over there by the rocks." Cam turned and ran back to Zac. "He must have caught the strong current near there. I need to go find him." Zac then said, "I'll help." Cam looked with horror and said, "But what about…" "I am going back to the secluded area and dive from there. I'm a strong swimmer and there could be a chance that you need my skills." Zac said. "Alright but keep unseen by anyone." Cam said, grabbing his surfboard and going out into the water.

Zac ran back to the secluded beach and dove into the water. He swam underwater for a bit and then surfaced looking around for any signs of the boy. Then he saw a shape near the dangerous parts of the rocks. Quickly Zac swam over and saw that the boy was perched against the rocks, unconscious. Zac grabbed the boy and swam him back to the secluded part of the beach. He dried both of them off and tried to bring the boy back into consciousness. "Please be ok. Don't die on me." Zac thought. After several moments, the boy suddenly started coughing up sea water, Zac backing away to make sure that none of the water got on him and thus exposing his secret. The boy opened his eyes, looking around and finally spotted Zac. Zac came back over and asked "Hey are you ok?" The boy quietly said "My head feels fuzzy and my arm hurts." Zac look at his arm, seeing that there were several cuts and bruises all over it, probably from being banged up on the rocks. Zac then said, "I going to carry you back to the beach to your mom and to have that arm looked at. Hold on to me as tight as you can." Zac picked the boy up and walked back to the beach. The boy's mother came running over, tears in her eyes, and said, "Thank you for finding him." Zac said, "He needs to be taken to the hospital. His arm needs looked at and he might have a concussion." The mother took the boy from his arms and ran out from the beach. Cam came back in from the ocean and looked at Zac. "Another hero point for you, man." Zac smiled and said, "Someone had to help. I just wanted to do my bit." Just then, he got a weird sensation from the pocket of his shorts. Zac put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the stone he found earlier. He was glowing again, but more brightly than before. Then, its light extended to his entire body, almost like it was bonding to him. Cam looked at Zac and said, "What was that?" Zac looked at the stone and then suddenly got a vision of a dinosaur, the same dinosaur that he saw the fossil of in the moon pool at Mako, roaring before the vision faded. Zac looked at Cam and said, "I have no idea, but this has nothing to do with mermaids or merman, so I am just as confused as you are."


	3. Chapter 3: What's A Power Ranger?

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Questions that you may ask that I have decided to answer before they are asked: 1. Why did the Dino Charge morphed not appear to Zac when the Energem bonded with him? If you watched the show, when Koda and Chase bonded with their Energems, the morpher did not appear to them. So I feel it will appear to him when the situation calls for it, which will been when he decides to** **officially join the team.**

 **I apologize that this and previous chapters are short. I promise that come chapter 5, the chapters will be longer since that is when I will start adapting actual episodes from Dino Charge. These first few chapters is just establishing Zac and how he got to Amber Beach. Enjoy.**

Chapter 3: What's a Power Ranger?

Zac and Cam entered the Cafe and sat down at a table. "So are you going to tell me what happened out there?" Cam asked. "Cam, like I said, I am just as confused as you are." Zac said. "Confused about what?" said a voice behind them. Zac turned around and saw his girlfriend, Evie, walking up to them with her laptop and sitting down. "Well, Zac found a weird stone that glowed all around him and seemingly bonded with him." Cam said. "WHAT!?" Evie shouted, startling everyone in the Cafe. Evie looked at everyone and said, "Sorry, don't mind us." She then turned to Zac and whispered "What does that mean?" "I don't know. I was in the moon pool by myself earlier and I found this dinosaur fossil in the rock wall and this stone was embedded in it. I grabbed it and I was going to go ask Rita about it, but I met up with Cam for a bite to eat and this woman needed help finding her son, and I went with Cam looking for him.." "In the ocean where people could see you?" Evie interrupted. "I was careful. Anyway, I found him and brought him back to his mother, then the stone starting glowing and it bonded with me and I saw a weird vision of a dinosaur roaring, then I came here." Zac said. Evie looked at him hard and said, "So this has nothing to do with mermaids?" "No, but it is weird that this was in the moon pool of Mako and I have no idea how it got there." Zac said. "Well, since I have my laptop, let's look into this, shall we?" Evie said as she pulled out her laptop and got onto the Internet.

After a few minutes, she said, "I think I found something. Come look at this." The boys moved their chairs so that they could see the screen. "This is the website to the most famous dinosaur museum in the world, located in Amber Beach, USA. Recently, there have been some strange things going on near there." "Like what?" asked Cam. "There have been some monster attacks.." "Monsters!?" both boys said. "Yes, monsters and these giant robot dinosaurs along with Power Rangers." said Evie. "What's a Power Ranger?" asked Zac. "Well, it's this team that fights off these monsters with special powers, and look at what their powers are based on." Evie said, pointing at some of the pictures. Zac looked more closely and noticing what she was referring to. "Dinosaurs." "Exactly." said Evie. "But what do these Power Rangers have to do with this stone and this museum?" asked Zac. "Well, these Power Rangers only came around after the museum started to do major research into new dinosaur fossils and several monster attacks have been around the museum. This could be the connection to the stone you found." Evie said.

Zac pulled the stone out of his pocket and examined it. Somehow, this felt right. Something about the Power Rangers felt connected to the stone. He sighed and said, "Then maybe I should go visit this museum." Evie and Cam look at him in shock. "You do realize that this museum is in America. Yea you could swim over there, but what excuse are you going to give everyone for suddenly leaving, especially you parents?" Cam asked. Evie looked back at her laptop and said, "Here. The museum is hiring for some new positions. And summer vacation starts next week. Maybe you can convince your parents to do a summer study abroad program as an excuse to go over there for the summer." Zac smiled at Evie and said, "That is an awesome idea. You are the best girlfriend ever." They kissed and then Zac said, "Plus this could be good for me in other ways." "What do you mean?" asked Evie. "This will give me a chance to get away from all of the mermaid drama I have been dealing with lately. I will be away from the pod, Mako, and Nerissa. I don't have to tell them where I am so that my mother won't know where to look for me and I can live my own life for a while." Zac then saw the sad looks on Evie's and Cam's faces. "But I can still be in contact with you guys. This will be our secret." "But what about Mimmi?' Evie asked. Zac frowned and sighed. "Well, maybe I will at least tell her that I am going away for a while. She is my twin sister and she does have a right to know. I will talk to her before I leave." Zac stood up and started to walk out of the Cafe. "Where are you going?" asked Cam. "Didn't we agree to share some food to eat?" Zac turned around and said, "Later. Right now, I have some preparations to make."


	4. Chapter 4: Goodbyes

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **For those who have read this story past this point, I have recently reuploaded this chapter because I had to fix Zac's conversation with Mimmi. I changed the part of Mimmi maybe being able to contact Zac to not being able to contact him telepathically until Zac's powers start to grow stronger. (Spoilers for those who have not read past this point already.) So just to make sense in context with later chapters, I fixed part of this chapter. Everything is the same from before. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Goodbyes

Zac was sitting in the living room, talking with his parents to try and convince them to let him go to Amber Beach. "I still don't understand why you want to go here for an entire summer." Mr. Blakely said. "You have never been interested in doing something like this in the past." "Dad, I have given a lot of thought about this. I just feel that this is something I should do. This will look great for my college resume and help me with my academics." Zac said. "Does this have anything to do with your merman side?" Mrs. Blakely asked. Zac sighed and said, "A little. Not in the way that you guys think. I feel that getting away from all of the underwater drama will help me clear my head and help me find out who I am meant to be." "But Amber Beach has been plagued by these monster attacks recently." Mrs. Blakely said. "It seems dangerous to go there now." "Mom, I will be fine. I can take care of myself. Merman powers, remember?" Zac said. "But what about your friends here, Evie?" Mrs. Blakely asked. "I have told them of my plans and even though they will miss me, they understand that this is something that I want to do. Besides, it is just for the summer." Zac said. "What about Nerissa and Mimmi? Along with this mermaid pod?" Mr. Blakely asked. "None of them know about this. I am not even going to talk to Nerissa before I leave. I feel that if I do she will find me and drag me back to her home whether it's my choice or not. That's not fair to me and especially you guys." Mr. and Mrs. Blakely looked at each other. Mr. Blakely sighed and said" Alright, we will let you go. Even though we are still a little skeptical about this, we trust you with this. I can set you up at an apartment over there though one of my contacts. Since you are also working a job, you will be in charge of all expenses. And make sure to keep up with the school work." "Yes, Dad. I will not let you and Mom down." Zac said, standing up and walking over to them and giving them a group hug. "Thank you for letting me do this. It means a lot to me." "You are welcome, Zac. We will miss you and see you in a few months." Mr. Blakely said. "Now go start packing. You are leaving in two days."

The night before he left, he was standing in Rita's grotto, patiently waiting for his sister to arrive. "Zac, are you here?" Mimmi asked, walking in from the pool. Zac turned around and said, "Hey, Mimmi. Glad you could make it. Rita won't interrupt us, will she?" "No, she is out with the pod right now. What did you want to talk about?" Mimmi asked. Zac looked her in the eye and said, "I am sorry that this is late notice, but I am going away for a while." Mimmi looked at him horrified and said, "What? What about Evie and Cam? What about the pod? What about our mother?" "Evie and Cam already know that I am leaving for a while. And I don't want to the pod to know, especially Nerissa." Zac said. "She is our mother, she has a right to know.." Mimmi started. "She may be my birth mother, but she is not my real mother." Zac said angrily. "You know what he expects of me and you. I am not going to be a part of her crazy plans and abandon my life here." "But you are going away. Isn't that abandoning your life here? Mimmi said angrily. "No, because it is only for the summer. Besides, I need some time to myself so that I can get away from all of this for a while. This is just something that I have to do. I love you sis, but I need to figure out who I am. On my own terms, not someone else's." Zac sadly looked at Mimmi. Mimmi said, "Then why are you only telling me?" "Because you are my sister and I trust you. Plus because of our bond, it would be hard to keep this from you. Please don't say anything to the pod, especially Nerissa. I fear that she would track me down and drag me to our new home and be forced into her plans. I will come back on my terms. Please Mimmi this is something that I need to do." Zac said. Mimmi started to get tears in her eyes and ran over and hugged Zac. Zac was startled at first but that returned the hug. "I will miss you brother" Mimmi said softly. "I will miss you too." Zac said, pulling out of the hug. "I will come back. I promise".

Zac, Cam, Evie, and Mimmi were standing in the airport near Zac's gate. His plane was about to board. "So, do you have everything you need?" Evie asked. "Yes, I do. For the 5th time." Zac annoyingly said. "Hey, I just want to make sure. You won't be back for a few months so I just want you to be prepared." Evie sighed and gave him a quick kiss. "Goodbye. And be safe." "I will." Zac said. Cam came up and said, "Take care, man. Stay out of the crazy stuff." "I'll try." Zac said. Mimmi came up and gave him a big hug and said, "Zac, please promise me that you will be careful." "I will. I have been careful with me secret for over a year. I can take care of myself." Zac said. He grabbed his bags and walked toward his gate. He looked back and waved at everyone. He turned around and walked onto his place, off onto his next big adventure, to Amber Beach.


	5. Chapter 5: Welcome to Amber Beach

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

Chapter 5: Welcome to Amber Beach

Zac walked out of Amber Beach airport. He was tired from the long flight and wanted to get to his new apartment and get some sleep. But he remembered that he had an appointment at Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum in 4 hours. Sighing, he got into his rented car and drove to his apartment. When he got there, he set his things down and looked around. It was small, about the same size as his bungalow at his parents' house back home. Speaking of which, he quickly got on his laptop and sent Cam and Evie an email stating he got there safe. Calling would be out of the question right now because of the different time zones, the Gold Coast would be asleep and he did not want to wake them in the middle of the night. He quickly unpacked his belongings, put on a nice shirt, pants, and shoes, combed his hair out, and looked in the mirror. "You can do this." He said. "You made it this far. Now it is time to get some answers and to start figuring out your life." He grabbed his keys and drove to the museum.

Pulling up, he parked his car and got out, looking up at the building. It looked very impressive, since this is supposedly the best dinosaur research museum in the world. He pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. He was suppose to meet with Kendall Morgan, the head of the museum. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the building. He was amazed with what he saw. The exhibits were breathtaking, almost as though he had walked in the jungle 65 million years ago. He walked around looking at all of the different fossils and stopped at one he recognized, the same type of fossil he found in the moon pool at Mako Island. He looked down and read what fossil it was: Ankylosaurus. So that was he saw on Mako. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone he found there. It was glowly faintly in his hand, the power radiating through him. Suddenly he heard footsteps and he quickly put the stone back into his pocket and turned to see a young woman not much older than him in a business suit walk toward him. "Zac Blakely?" she asked. "Yes I am Zac Blakely." he answered. The woman smiled and reached out her hand to shake his. "Kendall Morgan, I am the director here at Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum. Welcome to Amber Beach." Zac shook her hand. "It is nice to meet you Ms. Morgan." "I am glad that you are here as part of our summer program. Would you like a tour?" she asked. "I would love that." Zac answered. "Great, then follow me." she said as she starting walking toward the beginning of the exhibits.

"And this is the cafe, where you will be working as part of our shifts when you are not busy with your academics." Ms. Morgan said as they walked into the cafe. Zac looked around. It had a similar feel to the cafe back home, except for the dinosaur them going on. "Let me introduce you to some of your coworkers." Ms. Morgan said. Just then, the smoke alarm from the kitchen went off and Zac saw a guy wearing a black shirt, cap, and an apron run from one of the tables back into the kitchen yelling, "The grill!" grabbing the fire extinguisher and using it to get rid of the flames coming from the grill. Zac looked at him wide eyed and thought, "Well I guess I just met one of them." while Ms. Morgan looked at the guy horrified then sighing heavily. "I apologize that that was your first experience at our museum. Our staff is usually always working their hardest to please our visitors." "It's ok, I will not judge you based on one person's error." Zac said calmly.

The guy who ran back to the kitchen, came out looking embarrassed, followed by three other guys: one wearing a red shirt with apron, one with long black hair and wearing a blue shirt, and one wearing a green shirt with apron, as well as a girl wearing a pink shirt with apron came from behind Zac and Ms. Morgan, giving the first guy a huge glare and said, "Chase, what were you thinking?" as all of the guests walked out of the cafe, excluding Zac. Chase shrugged and said, "I had it under control. I just wanted to talk to this girl really quick and then come back to the grill." He sat down and continued, "I mean, come on, one little fire…" "That could have burned down the entire museum." Ms. Morgan said from behind the pink shirted girl, startling her. "Ms. Morgan, when did you get here?" the pink shirted girl asked. "Just now. I was showing your new coworker around the museum. Everyone, this is Zac Blakely, he is joining the museum through our academic summer program from Australia. Zac, this is Shelby (pink shirted girl), Tyler (red shirted guy), Riley (green shirted guy), Koda (blue shirted guy), and you already saw Chase." Ms. Morgan said. "Australia, huh?" asked Chase. "I'm from New Zealand myself. We are going to get along great." "Thanks, I think." Zac said. Shelby sighed and said, "Ignore him. As you could tell, he is not the greatest at staying focused. But I will agree with him about us getting along great." Zac smiled and said, "Great. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you." Koda smiled and said, "Great..to have..new friend…with us. Do you..want to try…burger?" "Not right now Koda." Riley said. "We still have to deal with our slight problem with Chase first, because like Ms. Morgan said, he nearly burned down the museum." Shelby leaned on the table and added, "And he almost exposed our.." but Tyler grabbed her arm, motioning to stay quiet, since Zac was there and didn't know about their secret base. "What Shelby means is exposing our secret backroom where we are researching new dinosaur fossils that could have been destroyed, right Shelby?" he said giving her a "play along" look. "Oh, yes of course, that would have been horrible." Shelby said getting the hint. Zac did not buy it and knew they were lying, since it was a similar tone that he usually used when he had to lie to someone to protect his or his friend's secret ocean lives, but he played along for now. "Wow, that would have been bad to expose."

Chase sighed, stood up, and said, "Alright, I get it. I promise to pay more attention to…Moana!" looking past everyone at an older woman with bizarre clothes who had entered the cafe, looking at him and smiling. Shelby looked behind her and asked, "Who is that?" Chase walked around the group and went to hug the older woman, saying "How are you? It's been a long time." The older woman, Moana, said, "Chase, I need your help." and grabbed his arm to lead him away from the group a little to talk to him a bit more privately. "What is it?" Chase asked. "I've had a vision. And someone is going to steal from me, something of great value." Moana replied. Zac gulped. He thought he was one the only people who could have visions. Was she a mermaid? Chase looked at the group and said, "Moana is a Matakite. A Moari fortune teller from New Zealand." Zac sighed thinking, "Ok, not a mermaid. I guess fortune tellers exist." Moana turned backed to Chase and said, "I need you to guard my shop." "Really?" Shelby asked. "Chase is going to guard it?" "I hope you have a fire extinguisher." Ms. Morgan added. Everyone except Zac, Chase, and Moana laughed at her comment while Koda looked confused and said, "What is that?" Chase looked back at Moana and asked "What about the police?" "Oh, they think I'm crazy." Moana laughed, then became serious again and said, "You have special strength, Chase" looking at him while Chase pull out a necklace he was wearing. Which had a stone at the end of it that looked very similar to Zac's but it was black instead of light blue. "So he has a stone similar to mine!" Zac thought trying to not looked surprised. "This might be easier than I thought to get answers." He looked at Ms. Morgan, who was giving strange looks to the others who were giving the same looks to each other. "They must be hiding something related to the stones. I should probably not say anything for now and find out more." Zac thought. "Only you can help me." Moana said. Chase looked down at his stone, then back up to Moana and said, "Well, ok." Moana grinned, taking his hand and leading him away from the cafe. "Don't worry, I can handle this." Chase said before bumping into a sidewall on his way out with Moana. The group looked around confused before Ms. Morgan said, "Why don't you guys show Zac the ropes and I will get back to my research. Zac, you can trust these guys. If you have any problems, just let me know." "Alright, Ms. Morgan." Zac said. Ms. Morgan walked out of the cafe and Zac turned to the group and said "So, where do I go?" with the group looking at each other before Koda grabbed him and said, "Back here..to..try burger." dragging him back into the kitchen.

The group didn't stay with Zac for long, Zac heard a weird noise coming from the group's belts and Tyler pulled out what looked like a bulky cell phone and said "Ms. Morgan needs to see us. Zac, you wait in here and you can start by cleaning the kitchen and we will be back soon." He and the rest of the group ran out of the cafe with Zac standing there awkwardly. "Now I know how Cam feels when I and the others run out on him to do something important."

About three hours later, Zac had finished cleaning up the kitchen. He took the trash out to the back near the storage garage when he saw Chase. "Wasn't he suppose to be guarding that weird lady's shop?' Zac thought. But Zac noticed that Chase had a weird look in his eye, very similar to how Zac looked when he was under the full moon's spell. "Chase must be under some sort of spell. There must be a monster nearby that put him under one. Well, time to start investigating." Zac thought. He brought up his invisibility and followed Chase to an abandoned wear house a few blocks away. Zac saw Chase walk right up to a weird looking bird monster with a gold circular place on his chest and the monster said "It's time." "What is your command?" Chase replied in a possessed voice. "Destroy her." the monster replied. Zac looked in the other direction and saw Shelby hiding behind some boxes, with Tyler, Koda, and Riley on the ground near her, all looking like they were in pain with weird yellow eyes, just like Chase's eyes. "They must have been hit with the spell, but Shelby wasn't hit with it. That monster is going to have Chase kill her." Zac thought worriedly. Still using his invisibility, he walked quietly over close to where Shelby was and tried to think of a way to save her as Chase slowly walked toward her. "No, Chase!" Shelby shouted. "Fight it. Concentrate." "You defied my master." Chase replied, pulling out a weird looking gun and pointing it at her and said "Must obey." "That gun." Zac thought. "Where have I seen that before?" Zac looked back at Shelby who was looking at her friends who were trying to fight back the spell and was looking around the room thinking of a plan while the bird monster kept shouting "Do it!". Zac saw Shelby run toward a crate skateboard and tried rolling it at Chase, but tripped and not couldn't get the board close enough to Chase's legs. Luckily, Zac knew what she was trying to do and used his merman powers to push the board to Chase, who jumped on the board, and his eyes started to turn back to normal. "He must focus while on a skateboard." Zac thought as he used his powers to bring the board back toward Shelby's direction while the bird monster shouted, "Destroy her! I command you". Shelby was lying on the ground and looked horrified when Chase was coming near her with the skateboard. Chase finally snapped out of the spell saying, "What the.." grabbed the barrel near Shelby, and turned around to face the monster with his gun. "Command this." He said smirking and fired his gun at the gold circle on the bird monster's chest, knocking it backwards and breaking the spell on the others.

Chase turned back to Shelby and said, "Good on you Shelby. That was quick thinking." "Good to have you back." Shelby replied with the others joining them and they arranged themselves in a standoff line. The bird monster stood back up, along with a blue monster, and a green monster, shouting "I may not be able to control you, but I'll still destroy you!" "Sorry," Chase said. "But your time is up. It's morphin' time!" raising his hand, holding a device shouting "Dino Charger!" and everyone shouting "Ready!" Zac looked at them in amazement. What were those? They looked like tech versions of his stone, but in red, black, blue, green, and pink. What were they going to do with those? Then they all pulled out those guns, putting the devices in them, shouting " Energize! Release the Power!" and they will all encasing in lights before the light dimmed and now standing in their places were the Power Rangers. Zac's jaw dropped. "They're the Power Rangers? That must be what the stones power." Zac thought absently feeling his shorts pocket where his stone was. "Does that mean I can become a Power Ranger, too? I guess I will find out later." Zac thought as he watched the Power Rangers battle the bird monster. He sat there in awe as they were fighting. His heart was racing with excitement. "This must be what my purpose is with the stone. This can help me figure out who I am. I wish that Mimmi.." he thought before frowning. Mimmi. Will she understand when he joins the Power Rangers? She does not even know what Power Rangers are. She might be on the mermaids' side thinking that Zac might abandon them and join the humans permanently. Zac shook his head. "No, Mimmi." Zac thought. "I will not abandon you. You are my sister, mermaid or not. But I need to find my purpose. I may have been born a merman, but I was raised as a human and right now, the humans need my help. And this stone will help me do that." Zac smiled. He has been here only one day and he has already started his learning journey to figuring out what he is meant to do. Now he just has to decide when to reveal himself to the others. He looked up as the monster grew and the Rangers brought out their Zords to battle and destroy it. "I should probably get back to the museum before Ms. Morgan finds out that I am missing." He then ran all the way back to the museum.

Zac went back into the kitchen and not much later, the others returned. "Hey, Zac. Sorry we took so long. Ms. Morgan kept us longer than we expected." Tyler said. Zac shook his head and replied, "It's ok. I kept myself busy." "Alright, then let's finish cleaning this place." Shelby said, grabbing some cleaning supplies and started cleaning the tables as Chase and Moana walked in. "I'm sorry about all the trouble I caused you." Moana said. "Telling the future can be a messy business." "No worries." Chase replied. "At least I proved to everybody that I can focus when I need to, eh?" They both hugged and Moana left the cafe. Koda walked over with a broom and said "Today..your day..focus..clean..museum floor." "I'll do it." Shelby said, grabbing the broom from Koda's hand. "The last time he had floor duty he left halfway through." "Hey!" Chase shouted, grabbing the broom off of Shelby. "There was a rugby match. Don't worry guys. I've got a plan. No more distractions." Chase grabbed his skateboard, put it to the floor, and starting riding it as he cleaned the floor. Tyler chuckled and said, "Looks like he definitely figured out one way to concentrate." Everyone chuckled until Shelby looked at Koda and said "Wait a second. Koda, it's your day to clean the floor. Koda suddenly looked shocked, then covered it up by saying, "Uh..I..maybe he need..concentrate on schedule, too." Then the whole group laughed as they watch Chase clean the floors on his skateboard. Zac looked at the group and said, "I think this will be a great summer."


	6. Chapter 6:New FriendsWeird Situations

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

Chapter 6: New Friends and Weird Situations

After a few days in Amber Beach, Zac was starting to feel comfortable in his new environment. He actually enjoyed the academic program he was in dispute the fact that science was never his strongest subject in school. Ms. Morgan actually made everything he was learning interesting, even though she could get into a long decision about a certain dinosaur and Zac had to try his hardest not to fall asleep during this. Working at the cafe also had its strong points. Sure, waiting tables and cleaning up after messy customers was not fun, his new coworkers were fun to be around. Tyler always had a smile on his face and seemed to be always cheerful even when the work they were doing was boring. Chase always had his skateboard on him and always talk about how New Zealand was awesome, especially when compared to Australia just to spite Zac, but never in a completely harsh way. Koda seemed like he was a child with wide eyes and acted like he never had seen or did some things before in his life, like when a customer was playing on his 3DS Koda looked at it with curiosity and whispered to Chase, "Why ..is that guy…looking at noisy thing?" He did not want Zac to hear, but thanks to merman ears, Zac heard every word and seemed confused with Koda's question. Had Koda not seen a video game before? Anyway, Riley was very smart and was always working on logic problems during the slow times at the cafe. Shelby had a sweet charm to her and always talked about different dinosaur facts which turned into similar situations like Dr. Morgan where she would go on and on about dinosaurs despite the fact that no one (except Tyler for some reason) would look interested in what she was saying. Despite everyone's flaws, they were great people to be around and get to know.

Despite the fact that the name of the city was Amber Beach, the beach was about 10 minutes away from the main city. So if Zac wanted to go for a swim in secret, he would have to drive 10 minutes to reach a secluded part of the beach so he could dive into the ocean. Even though he was a little further away from the ocean than back home, the ocean still had a strong calling to Zac. It seemed that this calling was getting stronger each day and it was hard for Zac to fight it. Sure, he loved his swims in the ocean, but he felt that if he completely gave in, than he would kiss his human life goodbye and would face his destiny as a merman prince. Why did his birth father have to be of royal blood of some kind? That fact he found out right after he found out about being a prince. He did not want to be a prince of some place that he has never been and have to give up his life that he has lived so far. He has tried to talk to Mimmi about his troubles, but he felt that Mimmi would embrace their heritage since she grew up in the sea. Mimmi tried to help Zac out, but their bond still was not where it should have been if they grew up together. Still, their powers were growing stronger each day and even though they were thousands of miles apart now, Zac could still feel Mimmi in his head. He could feel sadness sometimes and Zac realized that Mimmi was thinking about him and missing him greatly. Zac promised to have telepathic conversations with him overseas, but not too much so that Nerissa, their birth mother, would not get suspicious of Mimmi and force her to reveal where Zac went through reading her mind and following the telepathic connection since Zac did not verbally tell Mimmi where he went.

Zac shook his head and sighed. He hated thinking about his problems so often. He knew that one day he would have to face them, but he had other things to deal with. Like finding out more about the stone he found and how they connect to the Power Rangers. Speaking of which, he looked around at them while working at the cafe. Even though they were all nice, they seemed to be secretive all the time around him, especially when they all had to leave suddenly during random situation. He knew that they probably had to fight some monster that popped up and not to draw suspicion he acted normal and did not say anything. He knew that he would have to reveal that he knows their secret and has a stone like them, but he wanted to wait for the right moment.

Zac was cleaning off some tables at the cafe while Shelby was passing out food orders and Chase and Soda were sitting at a table looking at a map. Zac knew that the others went on dig expeditions with Dr. Morgan every now and then, but Zac had a feeling that there was more to them, mainly relating to the stones. Zac saw Tyler and Riley walk into the cafe and he heard Tyler say to Riley, "I sure hope Kendall's right about the Gold Energem." Gold Energem? Were the stones called Energems? "Interesting," thought Zac. "They must be looking for all of them for some reason. Maybe that's why they are going on all of those expeditions." He saw Shelby walk up to the kitchen window and heard a voice say, "Free cake samples, compliments of the chef." Zac stood there confused. That did not sound like the baker. Zac saw Shelby start to pass out the cake samples to the customers and the other workers while they were looking at the map. Zac started to walk up to them to warn them that something did not feel right about the cake but stopped when he heard Tyler say, "Kendall says we should check the southwest creek beds." with Riley saying, "Okay. We're looking for Pterodactyl fossils. That's the dinosaur that bonded with the Gold Energem." "Dinosaurs bonded with the stones?" Zac thought. "That must be why I saw that vision of a dinosaur when the stone bonded with me. They originally bonded with dinosaurs, hence why the Power Rangers have powers and weapons related to them." Shelby walked up to the group and said "Free samples. Chef's trying a new recipe." Tyler grabbed his piece saying "Awesome!" but before he could take a bite, Riley knocked the piece out of his hands. "A bit tasteless," Tyler said. "Nobody touch it," Riley said, standing up. "No cake?" Koda asked. "Chill, bro. A little cake never hurt anyone," Chase said to Riley. Zac finally walked up to the group and said, "Riley's right. Look at everyone else who had cake." They all looked around and saw everyone holding their jaws in pain as purple light came out from their mouths, like everyone'e mouths were suddenly effected with cavities.

Suddenly a weird laugh came from the kitchen and the group turned and saw a chef monster in the kitchen. Tyler sprang into action, telling Riley and Chase to take the front while everyone else goes into the kitchen. Tyler, Koda, Shelby, and Zac ran into the kitchen to catch the monster, but he escaped and they found the baker tied up on the floor. "Help him!" Tyler shouted. Zac, Shelby, and Koda bent down to untie the baker. Tyler pulled out the weird cell phone and said "He escaped out the back." and ran out the back door. "You safe now," Koda said to the baker. Shelby stood up and said to Koda, "We need to join the others," and started to run towards the back door when Zac said, "What about me?" Shelby and Koda stopped in their tracks and turned towards Zac. "You should stay here and help the baker. We are going to help Tyler and the others." "With what? Catching that monster?" Shelby and Koda looked at each other nervously. Shelby then said, "We are just going to find the Power Rangers and let them know about the situation." "Wait, you know the Power Rangers?" asked Zac. "Yes…good friends..always help…citizens," said Koda. Zac knew they were lying, but played along and said, "Alright. I'll help out the baker here. You guys go ahead." Shelby and Koda turned around and ran out the back door. "I hope you guys beat him," thought Zac.

Later, Zac was out in the exhibits cleaning the floor near the cafe when he saw Ms. Morgan walk into the cafe with Riley and Chase, hearing that they were talking about the monster from earlier. "She must be part of this stone situation, too. Time to investigate," thought Zac before activating his invisibility and quietly walking into the cafe. He saw Ms. Morgan and Riley with samples of the cake from earlier. "These are the leftover pieces of the poisoned cake," she said. Riley said, "Okay. We need to record how much was eaten by each person, and then whether it was the cake or the frosting." "And hopefully come up with an antidote," Ms. Morgan added. "Victim number one?" "Okay." Riley said, grabbing the first piece. "Two cake bites, one frosting. Victim number two. It looks like three cake bites and no frosting." Zac saw Chase walk up to the cake samples with a trash can and start to pull the pieces into it. "Wait!" shouted Riley." Stop, stop! What are you doing? "I'm cleaning up," replied Chase as Tyler, Koda, and Shelby walked into the kitchen. "That's what I'm supposed to be doing, right?" "No, not these." said Riley. "We need to figure out what's going on first." Chase sighed and said, "My instincts tell me that what's going on is that if you eat the cake, you get a toothache." "It's not that simple." rebuffed Riley. "It is that simple." said Chase. "We need to analyze it first," said Riley. Chase grunted angrily and said, "Oh, you always love to analyze things." "Yes," replied Riley. Chase sighed again and said, "Look," while dumping out the trash's contents onto the table. "Analyze that." Ms. Morgan came up and said, "Oh, enough! Both of you, out of here. And don't come back until you sort this out." Chase walked away angrily, grabbed his skateboard, and skated away. 'You can't skate in here,' shouted Riley. Zac quietly walked out of the cafe and lifted his invisibility. "So they have problems. I hope they figure them out soon or this will not end well," thought Zac.

Zac saw Ms. Morgan walk out of the cafe and she walked over to him saying, "There you are. I wanted to tell you that today's lesson has to be postponed. I was just handed a bunch of new research that I need to go through. Why don't we meet early tomorrow instead?" Zac knew she was lying after what he just heard, but played along. "Sure, Ms. Morgan. Is there anything around the museum that you would like me to do for you?" "Sure," she replied. "How about you clean out the storage room in the kitchen?" "Right on it," Zac replied as he ran into the cafe. He started cleaning out the storage room and saw that it was pretty big in size and thought, "This could actually be a good place for me to hide when I accidentally get wet in the future. There is more than enough space for my tail to land." Marking that fact into his head, he grabbed some bags and walked out the back door to where the dumpsters were. As he was about to head back inside, he saw Riley come out from behind some storage boxes. "Huh, where did he come from?" thought Zac. He then saw Riley go into a sprint and ran toward the city. "Now where is he going?" Zac started to run after him, but still kept his distance so that he wouldn't get noticed.

In the heart of the city, Zac saw Riley ran around a building so Zac followed carefully. Before he rounded the corner he heard, "Excellent. Another Ranger to destroy." Zac quickly throw up his invisibility and stuck his head around and saw the monster from earlier and Riley knelt to the ground next to Chase. Chase was holding his jaw in pain, meaning that he now had a mouth full of toothache. Riley was holding a weird sword and starting fighting off the monster. Chase tried to also fight back, but he was in too much pain. Riley was doing a good job fighting the monster back and not responding to its witty quirks. Zac suddenly heard Tyler shout, "Riley, duck!" and he, Shelby, and Koda came running in and shooting the monster with their dino guns. Riley put his sword away and knelt down to Chase's level and said, "I thought you were at the skate park." "Why would I be messing around when that chef is still on the loose?" Chase replied. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't be," Riley said. "Trust me, even though we do things differently, we fight for the same thing," Chase replied. Riley helped Chase up and said, "I'm sorry. I thought that you were…" "Forget it," Chase said cutting Riley off. "Just destroy those rotten teeth of his." "Good find, Chase," Tyler said from behind them. "Now let's destroy this chef." Riley smiled as he and the others pulled out their dino chargers with their guns. "It's Morphin' Time! Dino Chargers!" Everyone except Chase held up their dino chargers as Chase held his mouth in agony, with Koda putting his arm around him for comfort and said, "You okay?" with Chase nodding. Then they all shouted "Ready!" and did their vocal callout to morph. Then they were all suited up in their Power Ranger outfits. "I have to say," thought Zac. "Seeing the Power Rangers up close and personal is really cool. I can't wait for.." He stopped his thought when he realized that since he had his stone, he could join them at anytime. "It still does not feel like the right time to join. Especially not in the middle of this fight. Based on what I have seen with Riley, I think they don't need my help just yet. But I have a strong feeling that it is going to be soon." Zac smiled and shook his head, watching the Rangers fight off the chef monster and some weird looking minions, despite the fact that Chase was still in a lot of pain. He smiled when Riley and Chase pulled off a sword/gun combo move to destroy the monster, but frowned when the monster then grew huge. "Seriously, can't the monster stay destroyed?" He looked up and saw the Zords come to the aid of the Rangers, and then combined into their Megazord. Both creatures fought with the monster being destroyed and the Megazord giving a victory pose. "You know for superheroes, they do like to show off," Zac thought. "Oh, I better head back to the museum before they return," and Zac lifted his invisibility and starting running toward the museum.

Zac had just finished cleaning the storage room when Ms. Morgan came walking into the cafe. "Wow, Zac," she said. "You did an excellent job cleaning out the storage room." "Thanks, Ms. Morgan," Zac replied. "You know, I finished up with the new research earlier than I thought I would and the others are busy at the track right now, so how about we do another lesson right now?" Ms. Morgan asked. "Sure, I'm up for it," Zac replied as he and Ms. Morgan walked toward her office. He thought that the group was really using the running track as a victory party for their latest battle win, so he secretly understood. "That will be me very soon, guys," he thought. "It will be nice to have friends to help deal with these weird situations."


	7. Chapter 7: Enter the Aqua Ranger

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

Chapter 7: Enter the Aqua Ranger

Zac was back in Ms. Morgan's office doing another lesson while the others were off on an expedition. He again was trying his hardest not to fall asleep on her when she asked, "So, Zac, are their any questions you have for me?" Zac popped his head up quickly. He thought for a moment and finally asked, "What can you tell me about the Ankylosaurus?" Ms. Morgan looked at him and asked, "Why do you want to know about that dinosaur specifically?" "Uh oh," Zac thought. "I don't want her suspecting me. Make up a fake reason." Zac thought about it and finally said, "It said on the plague near its fossil here that they can be found in Australia. So since that is where I am from, I thought I could know about that specific dinosaur." Ms. Morgan relaxed and said, "Alright. Well, the Ankylosaurus is known for…" and went into a long winded monologue about the Ankylosaurus with Zac actually fully paying attention for once, since he thought that knowing about the dinosaur he saw in his vision might be useful. Suddenly, Ms. Morgan's phone beeped. She looked at it, turned to Zac and said, "The others are back from their expedition. I have to go debrief them. Why don't you go ahead and start your shift at the cafe?" "Sure, Ms. Morgan," Zac replied and left her office, walking toward the cafe.

Ms. Morgan walked out of her office and down into the Ranger Lab below the museum. She started working on her computer while she waited for the others to arrive. She heard someone coming in, looked up from her computer, and saw Shelby walk in, throwing her Dino Energem into its resting place so it could recharge the dino chargers. "So," Ms. Morgan said. "You're back early. Is everything okay? What happened?" Shelby walked up to her and said, "well, actually, something did happen. I came up with an idea for how to find the other Energems." Ms. Morgan look at her with disbelief and said, "Oh. Really? I think you underestimate how difficult it is to find an Energem." She started walking away when Shelby rebuffed, "And I think you underestimate me," with Ms. Morgan turning around looking surprised. "Ever since I first got here, I've been waiting tables, mopping floors, and being a pretty good Pink Ranger, if I do say so myself. But I've also got a lot of ideas going on up here. The problem is, no one will listen." Ms. Morgan sighed, put down her notes, and said, "Okay, Shelby. I'm listening." Shelby then got nervous for being put on the spot, but said, "Well, we combine known facts about the five remaining dinosaurs, climate, known breeding ground, food sources, stuff I know, with a global scan of the energy signatures for each of those dinosaurs' Energems. That stuff I thought you could help me figure out." Ms. Morgan shook her head and said, "Global scan of energy signatures. Highly doubtful." She then paused when realization came to her. "Unless, of course, yes that's it." She walked over to her computer and said, "That would require DNA samples. And the processing power required would limit us to just one dinosaur at a time." She started typing on her computer, but then stopped and turned to Shelby and said, "Well, are you going to watch or help?" Shelby smiled and walked over to the cabinet holding different DNA samples. Shelby looked at all of them and said, "Let's start with the Ankylosaurus." Ms. Morgan stopped typing, turned to Shelby and said, "You too huh?" Shelby looked at her confused and asked, "What do you mean by that?" "When I was doing lessons with Zac earlier, he asked about the Ankylosaurus. I guess you two must really like that dinosaur recently," Ms. Morgan replied as she turned back to her computer typing away. Shelby paused and thought, "Why would Zac be interested in that dinosaur. He hasn't shown any interest in it earlier. I should probably ask him about it later." She took the sample to Ms. Morgan as the two got to work.

Zac was in the cafe with the other boys cleaning off some tables wearing long rubber gloves so that the cleaning water would not get on him accidentally and cause him to run out quickly so that no one saw him transform into a merman. That would be awkward. He heard footsteps behind him and a voice say, "Hey, Zac." He turned around and saw Shelby walk up to him. "Oh. Hey, Shelby. What's up?" Zac replied. "Do you know where the others are? Ms. Morgan and I want to show them something that we have been working on," Shelby said. "Ms. Morgan let you help her with something?" Zac asked. Shelby looked little upset by that and said, "Yes. Why? Do you think I am not capable of helping out with research?" Zac immediately shook his head and said, "Of course I think you are capable. Everytime I listened to you talking about dinosaurs, it seems you are really smart on the subject, not to mention passionate about it." Shelby calmed down and smiled saying, "Aww thanks Zac. That means a lot to me. Sorry for misunderstanding you." Zac smiled back and said, "No problem. And the others are hanging out in the kitchen, trying to avoid doing chores." Shelby replied, "Of course they are. Why am I not surprised? Alright, thanks Zac." She started to walk toward the kitchen, but stopped and said, "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure," Zac said. "Why are you interested in the Ankylosaurus so much?" Shelby asked. Zac sucked in his breath. Why would she ask that. Did Ms. Morgan tell her that? Is she getting suspicious? "Why do you ask?" Zac replied. "Ms. Morgan said that today during your lesson you want to know all about that dinosaur. I was just curious," Shelby replied, noticing Zac tensing up. "No real reason. It was just the first dinosaur fossil I saw. That's all," Zac replied. Shelby was not entirely convinced by that answer, but did not push it for now. "Alright, see you later," Shelby said as she turned around and walked into the kitchen to get the others. Instead of everyone coming back out through the cafe, they went out the back door instead. "Where are they going? Ms. Morgan's lab is in the other direction," Zac thought. Suddenly, he realized that the new project must be Power Ranger related. "They must be going to their secret base. Maybe I should follow them." He threw up his invisibility and followed them.

"I really am using my invisibility too much lately," Zac thought as he followed the others out to the storage garage. He saw them walk up to a T-Rex face and saw Tyler pull out of its teeth, revealing a secret door. Zac gasped as he saw all five of them go down the secret door with it closing behind them. "Cool entrance," Zac said. "Well, time to follow and see what's up." He climbed up to the T-Rex face, pulled its tooth, and slide down the secret passage.

He landed quietly at the bottom and looked around. "This place is incredible!" Zac thought. Luckily he did not shout that since he still had his invisibility up and he did not want to alert the others as they were gathering around Shelby and Ms. Morgan. He quietly walked up close but not too close to them as he saw they were surrounding a weird looking device. "So," said Tyler. "What did you want to show us?" Shelby smiled and said, "This is the Ankylo Charger," pulling a small aqua metal cylinder from behind her back. Zac's eyes widened. "They already made a Dino Charger for me? But they don't know that I have the Aqua Energem," he thought. He heard Shelby say, "It's the brain that runs our new invention, the E-Tracer," revealing the device behind her. Zac let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Good," he thought. " I did not want to be exposed like that." He walked closer to the device as Shelby put the charger into it. Riley walked up and said, "Let me see that." Tyler also walked up and said, "Awesome!" as Shelby powered up the device. It raised its antenna and started scanning. "Yes!" Shelby shouted. "You did it," Riley said. "It's using the satellite network," Shelby said. "It's trying yo find an Energy signature. It's searching for traces of the Aqua Energem." Zac stucked in another breath. "Uh, oh," he thought. "That means they could trace my Energem, which is right in front of them. I'll be exposed too soon." He heard the device beep and Ms. Morgan said, "It's locking onto something." Zac tensed up. Was he found out? "That's definitely the right energy signature," Ms. Morgan said. Zac looked at the screen of the device. It was showing coordinates that were miles away from the museum. "That was close," Zac thought. "But why did not not find my stone. What did it find instead?" Ms. Morgan continued, "But it doesn't say if it is an Energem. It might be a Zord." Zac's eyes widened. "That must be my Word," he thought. "But why is it in the United States? I found the Energem in Australia at Mako Island." Riley looked at the coordinates on the screen and said, "That isn't too far away." Shelby walked away and said, "Come on, guys. This time we're going to dig in the right place." The others followed her out the doors of the lab, with Zac quietly following them to wherever his Zord was located.

Eventually the Rangers (with Zac following them invisibly) came to a field outside the forest. Zac looked around and saw his apartment close by. "Why would my Zord be close to where I am living now?" he thought as he heard a beep come from Shelby's device up ahead of him. "It should be right here," Shelby said. What they found was a giant hole in the ground. "Holy moly!" Chase said. "Looks like someone beat us to it," Tyler said. "Or did something come out of it?" Zac thought. Suddenly a monster along with some minions jumped out of the hole with the monster shouting "Surprise! Poisandra sends her regards. And now I'll destroy you." The Rangers charged at the minions and started fighting them off. Zac wanted to go in and help, but he did not want to blow his cover, so he ran and hide behind a tree, lifting his invisibility. Chase went after the main monster and started fighting him with the monster saying, "You'll get a kick out of fighting me!" and kicked Chase back a few feet, knocking him to the ground. "See? There you go!" The monster started to walk away. Chase shouted, "Don't let him get away. He might have the Energem!" "Unlikely," thought Zac, patting his shorts' pocket where the Aqua Energem lay. Tyler started running after the monster shouting, "I'm on it!" Riley's dino phone beeped and he pulled it out reading what it said. "No sign of an Energem."

But then his phone's readings were bleeping in and out. "No wait, there is an Energem! Now there isn't. Now there is. No never mind.." "Will you get to the point!" shouted Shelby. "Is there or isn't there?" Riley ran over to her and showed her the readings. "It keeps going in and out," Riley replied. "I don't understand why it is doing that." Zac pulled out the Aqua Energem and looked at it. Sure enough, it was pulsing where its light was going on and off. "That must be why Riley's readings are messed up. The power is in flux. But why?" thought Zac. Tyler was fighting the monster who grabbed Tyler's arm, twisting him around and said, "There may not be an Energem, but I left a little something for you anyway," and threw Tyler a few feet. Koda charged at the monster yelling, "My turn!" The monster fight off every punch/kick and said, "Not bad, Ranger, but not good enough," and slashed his weapon at him, throwing him backwards. The monster charged his weapon, yelled, "Get the point?" and fired at Koda, hitting him in the back.

Koda started writing on the ground in pain, and then started to look feral and ready to attack. "What did you do to him?" yelled Tyler. Riley ran over to Koda and asked "Koda, you okay?" but Koda started attacking him and the other Rangers. "Bye-bye," said the monster. "Have fun fighting your friend," and walked away. "Not cool, man!" yelled Riley as he started to fight back with Koda. But Koda was good and fought off every Ranger. Tyler shouted, "Koda, stop!" but was beat up and thrown to the ground by Koda, only to be caught by Chase. Shelby looked at Koda and said, "What's gotten into him?" before joining the fight. They keep on fighting, but Koda was not letting up. Tyler then noticed a thorn sticking out of Koda's back and yelled, "Guys! There's something on his back! Get him to the ground!" Chase and Riley ran up to Koda and held his arms down. Riley looked on Koda's back and said, "It's some kind of stinger. Pull it out." Tyler ran over and helped Riley and Chase hold Koda down while Shelby ran over and yelled, "Hole him still!" She tried to pull the stinger off, but it wouldn't budge. Zac saw she was having trouble and raised his hand, pointing at the stinger, then used his powers to help Shelby pull out the stinger. Finally, the stinger came out and Koda relaxed. Chase let go of Koda and said, "Koda, you okay now?" Koda nodded and said, "Yes…I am okay…Why you hug me?" Shelby came from behind him to show him the stinger.

Suddenly, the Rangers felt an rumble from the Earth and the ground where the hole was exploded, and a Dino Zord jumped out of it. "It's the Ankle Zord!" Shelby shouted. Zac looked up at it in awe. "That is my Zord?" he thought. "Awesome!" The Zord roared angrily. "Oh, that is one angry Zord," Riley stated. "It look powerful," Koda added. The Zord raised its tail, which looked like a giant hammer, and posed it right above the Rangers. It swung it down and the Rangers jumped out of the way, while the Zord went back underground. "That was a close one," Tyler said. "Why would it attack us?" Shelby asked. "I don't know," replied Tyler. "But we need to get back to base and report this to Ms. Morgan and Keeper." "Keeper?" thought Zac. "Who is Keeper?" He then saw the Rangers running back toward the museum and he put his invisibility back up and followed them back.

He snuck back into the underground lab and saw the Rangers sitting around a table with Ms. Morgan at the computer and the Rangers were all looking at some weird looking guy in a red robe with a yellow spear in his hands. "So that must be Keeper," thought Zac. He ran into a side cave entrance and lifted his invisibility, but kept his ear close to the entrance so he could hear what was going on. He heard Riley say, "The Ankle Zord is awake. That means the Aqua Energem bonded with someone." He then heard Shelby say, "You mean, there's an Aqua Power Ranger out there?" "That is correct," Zac heard a deep voice say, guessing it was Keeper's. "But he may not know we exist, or may have chosen for some reason, not to join us yet." "Wow, he's good," Zac thought. "Am I that predictable?" Zac heard Keeper continue by saying, "What is important know is the Ankylo Zord. It shares the Aqua Energem's power and would not attack us." Koda spoke next, "Maybe monster…sting Zord…like it sting me." "That would explain it," Tyler said. "And that would explain why the Energem signature kept going in and out. The stinger must be blocking the signal. Then we need to remove the stinger," Riley said. Zac pulled out the Aqua Energem and it was still glowing on and off. "The stinger must also be effecting my Energem," Zac thought. What Zac did not see was Keeper tensing up and looking toward the cave where Zac was hiding, but turned back to the Rangers when Chase said, "Good luck. Did you see the size of that thing?" Zac heard Shelby sign loudly and say, "I'll do it." "No way!," Tyler said. "It's too dangerous." "Someone has to do it," Shelby replied. "Besides, it's my stupid E-Tracer that somehow screwed up and gave away the Zord's location to Sledge." "Who is Sledge?" Zac thought. "Is he the big bad guy sending out all of these monsters?" "Actually," he heard Ms. Morgan say, "Your device worked brilliantly. Sledge got the location of the Zord because I didn't encrypt the E-Tracer's code. It's my fault we lost control of the Ankylo Zord. Somehow, I'll find a solution," and he heard Ms. Morgan's footsteps walking out of the lab. Zac was shocked. Ms. Morgan never admits to being wrong or being of blame, so this was huge. He heard more footsteps, probably Shelby, who said, "I'm going after her," and ran out of the lab. Zac heard Keeper say, "Why don't the rest of you go out and search for the monster. I can keep track of the tracer for any Ankylo Zord activity." "Alright, Keeper," Tyler said and Zac heard more footsteps leave the lab.

He then heard Keeper sigh and say, "You can come out know. There is no reason to hide." Zac gulped. So this Keeper knew he was here all along? Sighing, he walked out of the cave and walked right up to Keeper. "How did you know I was here?" asked Zac. "I am Keeper. Guardian of the Energems. I felt your Energem's power," replied Keeper. Zac looked at the Aqua Energem and then back up at Keeper. "Why didn't you say anything when the other Rangers were here?" asked Zac. "Like I said, the Aqua Ranger may have chosen not to reveal himself to the others yet for some reason," replied Keeper. "So I must ask, why haven't you reveal yourself to the others?" Zac sighed and said, "I came to Amber Beach to look for answers relating to my Energem. I couldn't just ask around. That would look weird. I found out on my first day here that the others were Power Rangers and had the other Energems, but I did not want to reveal myself yet because I wanted to learn more about this situation. Plus, something did not feel right." "What did not feel right?" asked Keeper. "I felt that it was not the right to time reveal myself and help the other Rangers. I was waiting for the right time. I now think that this is the right time," replied Zac. "Hmm, interesting conclusion. Is the Ankle Zord's appearance the reason?" asked Keeper. "Yes," replied Zac. "But also my instincts are telling me that now is the right time." "Do these instincts relate to your other powers by chance?" asked Keeper. Zac looked horrified, then tried to cover up by saying, "I don't know what you are talking about. The Aqua Energem is the only power source I have." Keeper sighed and said, "Again, I am the Guardian of the Energems. I know their power signature and yes that is coming from you, but also something else." He saw the horrified look on Zac's face and said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. But you can't keep your secret forever from everyone else. It will only bring misfortune and mistrust. But I am telling you now that you can confide in them. As well as myself."

Zac sighed and looked down. "Well, since you already know that I have other powers, then I guess I should show you why I have these other powers." He looked around and saw a glass of water sitting near Ms. Morgan's computer. He walked over, picked up the glass, and said to Keeper, "You might want to step back. I'm going to need some room in 10 seconds." Keeper stepped backwards as Zac emptied the glass of water onto his hand. Sure enough, 10 seconds later, Zac felt his legs disappear and fell over onto the floor with his transformation into his merman self complete. Keeper looked at Zac in awe. "Well, it has been a long time since I have met a merfolk in person." Zac looked up at him and said, "You know mermaids and merman exist?" "Zac, I have been around this planet for over 65 million years. I have seen some things in my time. But after having seen your true self, I can understand why you want to keep this a secret. Merfolk tend to be very secretive about themselves," replied Keeper. Zac said, "I couldn't agree with more," and proceeded to use his powers to dry his tail off, and soon was standing back up on his human legs. "I would very much like to hear your story, but now is not the time. You need to go with Shelby to find your Zord," said Keeper. "You think I can help break that monster's spell on my Zord?" asked Zac. "I feel that once you have reconnected with your Zord, you will be able to join the Rangers fully. Like you said, now is the time to reveal yourself to them," Keeper replied. Zac nodded and said, "Well, here I go," and ran to the exit. He then suddenly stopped, turned back to Keeper and said, "But will you promise that you will not reveal my secret to the others. I agree that they need to know, but I want to tell them on my own terms. This is not an easy secret to keep. And we do have a code that we must follow. At least, I know that I need to follow it." "As you wish Zac," replied Keeper. "Now go. Ms. Morgan is about to leave for the site again. And I have a feeling that Shelby will be secretly joining her." Zac nodded again and ran out the lab doors. He went to the storage garage and saw Ms. Morgan start to drive away in the expedition Jeep and saw Shelby pulling the blanket in the back over herself to hide. Zac smiled. "I don't know how Keeper knows these things, but he is good," thought Zac. "Well, I have some catching up to do." He started to run a shortcut toward the field where he knew Ms. Morgan was heading.

Zac ran and ran until he reached the field where the hole was found earlier. He saw the museum's Jeep nearby and crept up toward it. Ms. Morgan was getting out of the Jeep and starting to get some materials from the back of the Jeep when she suddenly gasped loudly from shock because Shelby popped out from underneath the blanket. Zac ran behind a tree and observe the scene. "So Keeper was right about Shelby tagging along. I really should know his secret on how he knows these thing," Zac thought. He looked at Ms. Morgan and Shelby with Ms. Morgan recovering from her shock and said, "Oh, good grief. Stowing away again? Really a bad idea." "Yeah," Shelby said. "And going after the Ankylo Zord alone is also a really bad idea." Ms. Morgan grabbed some climbing equipment and said, "I rarely make mistakes, but when I do, I correct them. No excuses." She walked away toward the hole with Shelby climbing out of the Jeep and followed her. Zac crept from his hiding spot and hide behind the Jeep. Shelby walked up to Ms. Morgan and said, "Look, we created this problem together. Let'd solve it together." Ms. Morgan walked to the hole and said, "I simply cannot be responsible for sending you down this hole. It's just too dangerous."

Suddenly evil laughter was heard and the monster from earlier returned along with some pink heart monster and minions. "Maybe you can't," the monster said. "But I can," and he sent a blast toward Ms. Morgan and Shelby. But Shelby posed Ms. Morgan out of the way and took the full force of the blast, sending her down into the hole. "Hole in one, Stingreage!" shouted the pink monster. Zac stood there shocked."Vivix, attack the nearsighted scientist!" shouted Stingrage. The Vivix charged at Ms. Morgan, who ran and grabbed a shovel to defend herself. "Get away from me!" she shouted. "Ms. Morgan's in trouble!" Zac thought. "No more watching from the shadows. Time to come out into the light." And Zac ran out from behind the Jeep toward Ms. Morgan and kicked away a Vivix near her. Ms. Morgan turned around and was shocked to see Zac there fighting off Vivix. "Zac!" Ms. Morgan shouted. "What are you dong here?" "Well," said Zac. "I followed you from the museum. Keeper said that you and Shelby needed help." "Wait," said Ms. Morgan. "You know Keeper?" "I tell you that story later," said Zac. "Right now, we need to get these freaks off our backs and help Shelby." "So," Zac and Ms. Morgan turned around to see Stingrage walking up with the pink monster. "Another good guy to destroy? Very well. Get them Vivex!" And more Vivix started to charge Zac and Ms. Morgan, with both of them fighting them off. Zac was surprised that he could fight them off easily, but chalked that up to his combined merman/Energem powers helping him keep up. He turned to Ms. Morgan and said, "I need to go help Shelby with the Ankle Zord. Why don't you distract these freaks here?" Ms. Morgan looked horrified and said, "But how do you know about the Ankylo Zord? And how can you help with it?" Zac smiled and said, "Let's just say that I have formed a unique bond with it. Now run!" And Zac ran off toward the hole. Ms. Morgan looked back toward the monsters and said, "Gotta run!" and took off in the other direction, back toward the museum. The pink monster, Poisandra, said, "Arg. They split up." Stingrage said, "Forget about that boy. He is useless. That scientist though is more important. After her, Vivix!" And both monsters long with Stingrage and Poisandra ran after Ms. Morgan. Zac looked behind him as he ran and thought, "Predictable. They should know that I am important to the Power Rangers. Well, they are about to find out." and Zac continued to run toward where Shelby fell.

Down in the hole, Shelby had landed morphed into her Power Ranger armor. She grunted, stood up, and said, "That hurt." She suddenly heard growling behind and turned around and stared into the dark underground, where a pair of glowing red eyes looked at her. "The Ankylo Zord!" Shelby said. "Hello, Ankylo Zord." The Zord started walking toward her as Shelby said, "You're a vegetarian, remember?" She looked and saw the stinger poking out near its leg. "That's the stinger!" Shelby said. Suddenly, the Zord started to charge toward her, with Shelby tensing up, afraid. Then she heard someone yell, "Shelby, hold on!" from above her. This stopped the Zord from running as Shelby looked up and was shocked to see Zac fly down and land right in front of her, putting himself between the Zord and Shelby. He turned toward Shelby and said, "Shelby, are you okay?" Shelby was shocked. Why is Zac here? And how did he know she was the Pink Ranger? She pretended to act all heroic and said, "Shelby who? I don't know who you are talking about." Zac huffed and said, "You can drop the act, Shelby. I know it's you. And that the others are also Rangers." Shelby's eyes widened beneath her helmet. "How do you know?" Shelby asked. "That is a story for a later time," Zac said, turning back toward the Zord. "Right now, we need to get that stinger out of him." "How do you know about the stinger?" Shelby asked. "I heard you guys talking about it with Keeper," said Zac. "Which again, a story for a later time. The Zord may see you as a threat, but it may not with me." And Zac started to slowly walk up to the Zord. "Easy, buddy," Zac said as he was walking up to it with Shelby behind him standing there in shock. "You came a long way to get here, didn't you. I can feel the ocean's breeze from down here. You came here from far away, to find me? Because we now have a connection?" Zac reached into his pocket and pulled out the Aqua Energem, holding it up toward the Zord. Shelby's eyes widened. "The Aqua Energem!" she thought. "Zac had it all along and we did not know?" Zac continued to walk closer to the Zord. "See it buddy? Through this, I am connected with you. I know that something has effected you. It hurts doesn't it. Please, allow me to help you." The Zord looked at the Energem and seemed to calm down a little. Zac used this and ran up, grabbed the stinger, and pulled it free. The Word roared with happiness as Shelby yelled, "You did it, Zac!" Zac breathed heavily as he threw the stinger far down the cave corridor. He felt a pulse of power come from the Energem and looked down to see that it was no longer effected by the stinger. Suddenly, a dino gun appeared in Zac's hands. "Wow!" said Zac as Shelby ran up to him. "Your morpher appeared," said Shelby. "Now you can become a Power Ranger like us." Zac looked at her with confident eyes and nodded. "Right, finally," Zac said. "It's Morphin Time! Dino Charger Ready!" He maneuvered his legs similarly to how he saw the others do it and put his Energem into the morpher, then closed it, bringing it up to his face. "Energize!" Zac shouted as he spun the morpher then pointed in to the sky. "Unleash the power!" and Zac pulled the trigger, unleashing a aqua dinosaur head that came and swallowed him up, leaving him in his Power Ranger armor. He looked down at himself in awe. Finally, he was a Power Ranger. "Awesome," Zac said as he walked up and hopped onto his Zord. "Hop up, Shelby. We need to go help Ms. Morgan and the others with those freaks." Shelby nodded and hopped up behind him, and they took off toward the museum.

Meanwhile, Ms. Morgan was still running toward the museum. "Get that weakling!" she heard Poisandra yell behind her. She stopped and fought off more Vivix with her shovel, but then she heard Stingrage yell, "Surpirse" and dodged his blast with her shovel, but was knocked to the ground a few feet away. "Sit right there, smarty-pants," Stingrage said. "One little sting, and it'll all be over." He fired again, but Tyler sound in saying, "Not so fast!" as he used his weapon to block the shot. "Nice job, Ms. Morgan," Tyler said as he helped her up from the ground and the other Rangers joined him. "Kendall, you okay?" Koda asked. Ms. Morgan said, "I'm fine. Thank you. But Shelby, she fell down the hole. And.." "Wait," Tyler interrupted her. "She's down there with the Ankylo Zord? Oh, no. Shelby!" And Tyler ran in the direction of the hole. Riley turned to Ms. Morgan and said, "Can you do an underground scan?" "Yes," Ms. Morgan answered. "I can do one from the base." And she ran back to the museum. Stingrage saw Tyler run off toward where Shelby fell and said, "You won't get away from me, Red Ranger!" Easy to catch, easy to sting!" And he flew over and blocked Tyler's path. "Out of my way, you overgrown insect!" Tyler shouted. "Looking for someone you care about?" Stingrage asked. Tyler gripped his fist and said, "You asked for it!" and charged Stingrage. The others joined him fighting off Vivix. Stingrage got the upper hand and said, "Easier than swatting flies!" and shot Tyler backwards, hurting him. The other Rangers came to his aide. "I'm going to knock you flat!" yelled Stingrage as he fired at the Rangers, knocking them off their feet. Poisandra laughed and said, "Defenseless Rangers. Sting them all, and they'll destroy each other." Stingrage walked up and said, "You're finished, Rangers!"

He pointed his weapon at the Rangers, but suddenly a tremble was felt and shook everyone off their feet. They looked and saw the Ankylo Zord rise up from the ground, with Shelby on its back. As well as another Power Ranger. "You're done, Stingrage!" said the unknown Ranger. "You've stung your last victim, including my Zord!" And he jumped down in front of Stingrage, Poisandra, and the Vivix, firing his gun yelling, "Dino Morpher Blast!" and Shelby jumping down toward the other Rangers to help them up. "I hope that stings!" yelled Shelby. The other Rangers said, "Shelby, you're okay." Tyler then asked, "How did you get the stinger out? And where did you find him?" pointing to the unknown Ranger. 'Well," Shelby said. "It was him (not yet giving them Zac's identity) that pulled out the stinger, and he found me." "Wow," said Koda. "New ranger." "I am glad you are at least okay," Tyler said. "I was worried." "Yeah, you should have been," Shelby said. "It was a close call until our new friend showed up." "So you know who he is?" Chase asked. "Yes, but right now we have bigger problems," Shelby said as the turned toward the Aqua Ranger and the monsters just as the monsters were standing back up onto their feet. "You'll pay for that!" Stingrage yelled. "Wait," Poisandra said. "He must be that guy we saw earlier who jumped after the pink Ranger." "Yep, that's me," Zac said. "Ankylosaurus. (go into roll call position) Power Ranger Aqua. And I am here to take you down." Zac looked behind him at the other rangers and said, "With my friends of course." Tyler shot his hand up in a fist bump and said, "Awesome. Time to trash this bug!" (Everyone does the roll call again, ending with Zac) "Oh, please," said Stingrage. "I'll take down Stingrage," Zac said to the others. "Alright," Shelby said. "We can take care of the Vivix." "Vivix, attack!" Poisandra yelled. The Rangers at their opponents and starting fighting them off. Zac fought Stingrage one on one. "How dare you sting my Zord!" Zac shouted as he kicked Stingrage back a few feet. Zac reached his hand out and yelled, "Ankylo Hammer!" and a hammer shaped exactly like his Zord's tail appeared in his hand. Chase stopped fighting for a second when he saw this. "Wow, he got his own weapon already?" Stingrage got up and said, "You're really starting to bug me." Zac charged up his hammer and ran toward Stingrage, yelling "Final strike!". He swung at Stingrage, hitting him in the stomach. "Looks like I got stung this time," Stingrage said as he collapsed and exploded. Zac swung into his victory pose and said, "And that's how it's done." And the other Rangers cheered him on with Shelby saying, "Nice job."

Up on Sledge's ship, he raged over the destruction of his monster. "So there is another Ranger?" he yelled. "Fine. Let's see hoe he and the other Rangers deal with a massive sting. Magna beam!" And a Vivix hit the Magna beam button, causing Stingrage to grow larger on Earth. "Oh, no!" yelled Shelby as Stingrage laughed evilly. "These guys never give up," Tyler said. "Time to call in some Zords." Tyler, Shelby, and Koda held out their Dino Chargers and yelled, "Dino Charger, Ready!" and summoned their Zords. Stingrage saw them coming and said, "Come and get me!" and fired at them. "Bite him, Rexy!" Tyler yelled. His Zord ran up and bite Stingrage on the arm, with him yelling, "Let go, you big dumb dino!" "Watch out for his stingers!" Tyler yelled. "We need smash him," Koda said. Zac turned to him and said, "Great idea Koda." Koda looked at him confused. Zac turned toward the fight and said, "And I know just the Zord that can do the smashing. Dino Charger, Ready! Summon Zord!" And Zac summoned the Ankylo Zord who charged in and hit Stingrage back with its hammer tail. "Great job, Ankylo Zord!" Zac said and turned to Shelby. "I think it's time for some Megazord power. Shelby, can you do the honors?" "Sure," Shelby said. "Dino Charge Megazord, Tri-Ankylo formation!" The T-rex, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus Zords combined into the Megazord and the six Rangers appeared in the cockpit. "Awesome!" Zac said. "This combo sounds powerful!" Shelby said. "That's what you're going to fight me with?" asked Stingrage. "This'll be easy." All six Rangers shouted, "Go!" and the Megazord charged at Stingrage. "Tricera Zord, Power Drill!" Shelby shouted as the Megazord attacked with its drill. "Ankylo Zord, Hammer Punch!" Zac yelled as the Megazord punched Stingrage back. "Ankylo Zord very strong," Koda said. "That's right," Zac said. "We've got this guy on the ropes." "Let's squash this insect!" Tyler shouted. "Ankylo Zord, Final Hammer Punch!" the Rangers shouted as it delivered the final blow, destroying Stingrage. The Rangers cheered inside the cockpit with Shelby saying, "Welcome to the family, Ankylo Zord. And you two, Aqua ranger." "Thanks Shelby," Zac said. "Monster extinct!" Tyler shouted. All of the Rangers exited the Megazord and the original five turned toward the Aqua Ranger. "So," Tyler said. "Who are you?" Zac smirked under his helmet and replied, "We've already met." All of the Rangers, minus Shelby looked at each other confused. "Come on," said Zac. "How else do I know that Tyler writes in his father's journal everyday, or Chase rides his skateboard in the museum, or Koda eats 4 burgers a day, or Riley always loves working on logic problems, or Shelby loves talking about dinosaurs non stop?" The other Rangers demorphed looking at Zac with shocked expressions (again minus Shelby, who was smirking). Zac finally demorphed himself, revealing his identity to the others. "Zac?" The other boys shouted. Zac smirked at everyone and nodded. "Well, I guess I have some explaining to do…"

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury was chasing Poisandra around the flight deck. "Well," he said. "Get over here, you candy queen! You're going to tell me how you found that Zord." "Lay one grimy claw on me," Poisandra said. "And Sledge will grind you into space dust." Fury drew his fist back to punch Poisandra, but then they both heard Sledge calling for her. Poisandra laughed and said, "Coming, Sledgeums! Maybe I'm smarter than you think, Fury. Better watch your back." and ran out of the flight deck away from Fury, him getting angry.

All six Rangers were sitting at the cafe while Zac told the others how he got the stone. "I was exploring an island off the Gold Coast in Australia where I found the Aqua Energem encased in a dinosaur fossil. It bonded with me when I saved a boy's life from drowning. Through that, I saw a vision of an Ankylosaurus and I did some research, coming across this museum and you guys in Ranger form. I applied for the academic program so that it could get me over here to find out more about the Energem. I found out my first day here that you guys were the other Rangers when I saw Chase's Energem and followed him to the warehouse where you fought that weird bird monster. I felt that it was not the right time to reveal myself to you guys, not until I saw you guys find my Zord and talking with Keeper did I decide to help you guys," Zac said. "You have been watching us in secret? How?" Chase asked. "I have my ways," Zac said, not wanting to reveal his other powers just yet. "Well," Tyler said. "I for one am glad that you are now a part of our team." "Thanks, Tyler," Zac said. "So," Riley said changing the subject. "Kendall fixed the E-Tracer. Sledge can't steal our data anymore." Chase said, "Once we've found the other Energems.." Tyler cleared his throat to indicate that a waiter was coming up to serve their drinks and he did not want Chase to reveal their identities to her, waited until she walked away did he let Chase continue "…I might head home, see my mom in New Zealand." Zac saddened a little. "I miss my family and friends too. But I have a mission here now. I can return home once this is finished." He zoned back in when he heard Riley say to Shelby, "Your invention is gonna help our research a lot. I mean, it's genius." Shelby smiled as she took the compliment. Koda grabbed a pencil and paper and said, "My grandfather famous caveman. He invent very complicated machine too." And he started to draw a picture. "Really?" Shelby asked. "Wow." Koda picked up his drawing and said, "Is called wheel." Everyone laughed as Ms. Morgan walked in with a large pink box. Shelby looked at Ms. Morgan and said, "We crushed it, Kendall." Ms. Morgan replied, "Yes, we did crush it. Because of your recent invention, the museum has a gift for you, a fossil from you favorite dinosaur." Ms. Morgan handed Shelby the box. "A triceratops fossil?" Shelby asked as she unwrapped the package and picked up its contents, causing the others, minus Zac, to start snickering. "That is poop," Koda said. "yes, Koda," Ms. Morgan said looking frustrated. "It's a very rare specimen." "Dino dung?" Shelby said as she dropped it on the floor causing it to break. "Now lots of rare specimens," Koda said, causing everyone, minus Shelby who wiped her hands on Koda's arm, to laugh. Ms. Morgan looked frustrated but calmed down and turned to Zac. "Zac, you have a gift too that is waiting for you down at base that you can see later. Right now, we have our next lesson." Zac looked shocked and said, "What? But what about.." "You may be a Ranger now, but you still have to keep up with your studies, otherwise you can't stay in the academic program and that will blow your cover, as you said, you signed up so that you could learn more about your Energem," Ms. Morgan said. "Aww, man," Zac said as the others laughed. Zac sighed, "This is going to be a long summer…"


	8. Chapter 8: Double Ranger, Double Danger

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Sorry that it has been more than a week since I updated this story. Stuff has come up but I am not relying on this excuse. I promised once a week and I am trying to keep that.**

 **Also thanks BetaZackFan for becoming a follower of this story. I truly appreciate it.**

Chapter 8: Double Ranger, Double Danger

Up on Sledge's ship, Sledge and Poisandra were walking through one of the cell blocks. "Every intergalactic bounty hunter needs a girl like you, Poisandra," Sledge said. "Smart, beautiful, heart-shaped…" "Master Sledge!" Fury said walking up to the couple. "I have a plan to get the Rangers' tracking device." Poisandra turned around annoyed and said, "Don't try to steal my thunder! I'm the one who found their machine while you were taking a cat nap. "And purring!" Curio, Poisandra's sidekick said. "Who asked you, Rag Doll?" Fury shouted. "Beginner's luck!" "Maybe, maybe not," Sledge said. Poisandra turned toward Sldge and said, "Give me a chance and I'll prove luck had nothing to do with it. This one calls for brains, not brawn. Especially since we have a new ranger to deal with now." Fury growled with anger, but Sledge said, "Well, I think it's time we give my leading lady her moment in the spotlight. We cannot afford to have the Rangers grow more in size and power. This is all yours, my dear." Poisandra screamed with glee and said, "Oh, Sledgems! My first mission! I must start immediately. Wrench, come with me." She grabbed Wrench by the arm and ran to one of the cell blocks. "A girl can't go on a mission without her evil accessories. And why can't they be cute, too? I'll take you." She pointed at a monster that had two fish on its head nears its eyes and a bulky body. "What? Me?" The monster asked. "Wrench, let him out," Poisandra said to Wrench who unlocked the cell as Fury walked up behind them and said, "Finally, Sledge is going to realize how worthless you are." "Jealous kitty," Poisandra said back. "With this monster's skills the Rangers won't know who's friend or who's foe." (Insert Poisandra laughing evilly)

Zac groaned as he heard his alarm going off. "This early mornings are killing me," thought Zac. He rolled out of bed, went into the bathroom, and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He saw his Energem dangling off of a necklace that Ms. Morgan gave him after he became a Ranger. He know very rarely took it off. He felt a strange comfort with wearing it, a similar comfort that he feels when he goes swimming in the ocean. A thought suddenly dawned on him. "Ms. Morgan said that my Ranger form was a form of armor," he thought. "Could that mean if I get wet while in Ranger form, I won't turn into a merman?" He quickly summoned his Dino Morpher and transformed into the Aqua Ranger. He looked at his new reflection. He never fully saw what he looked like when he first transformed a couple days ago and he was still in awe of his Ranger form. His helmet looked like the Ankylosaurus, he had a shoulder pad on one side with a yellow and black stripe going diagonally from it, with the majority of his form being light blue in color. He turned on the sink and used his power to make the water come towards him. He stopped the water just before him, letting in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Well, here goes," and he let the water soak him. He counted down, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,.." and at the end of the countdown, nothing happened. He opened his eyes and saw in his reflection that he was still in his Ranger form and further more, that he still had his human legs. "Awesome!" Zac said. "Now I know that when I am in Ranger form, I don't have to be worried about getting wet and transforming into a merman." He demorphed and was completely dry. He walked out of the bathroom and looked at the clock. "Oh, no!' Zac said. "I only have 15 minutes to get to the museum!" Luckily, Zac's apartment was really close to the ocean and he realized that he would have to swim to work instead of driving. He throw some clothes on, ran out the door quickly locking it, and ran toward a secluded part of the ocean front where no visitors every went. He dove into the water, letting the transformation take hold, and sped swam down the coast to the museum. He found a secluded cove where he pulled himself out of the water and dried himself using his powers. Once dry, he got up and ran for the next 3 minutes to the museum. He ran to the storage garage in the back and went through the secret entrance to the command center, where the other Rangers were waiting. "There you are, Zac," Shelby said. "We were worried about you." "Sorry guys," Zac said. "I overslept this morning." Chase put his arm around him and said, "No worries mate. Happens to me all the time." Which caused everyone to groan. "Well," Ms. Morgan said. "Why don't all of you head out with the E-Tracer?" Everyone nodded and headed out.

They went to a field with the E-Tracer. "I'll set the E-Tracer here." Riley said as Koda ran up a tree and sat in its branches. Shelby held up a Dino Charger and said, "This Dino Charger has been created to detect energy from the Gold Energem, or, the Ptera Zord. Hopefully the E-Tracer will locate one of them." She set it in the E-Tracer while Zac walked around a bit, passing by Tyler who was writing in his journal and looking at a picture which had a man with a little boy in it. Zac looked over Tyler's shoulder and said, "Is that your dad?" Tyler turned around and said, "Yeah. This was taken a few months before he went missing." "I'm sorry about your dad," Zac said. "I know what it's like to have missing parents." "Really?" Tyler asked. "Because I thought you still lived with both of your parents back home." " Adopted parents," Zac said. "I thought they were my parents, until I found out that I was adopted through friends of mine, who one of them is actually my lost twin sister. Shortly after my adopted parents took me in, my sister was left some …friends…of my birth mother's before she disappeared entirely. My sister had no idea what happened to her." "You said had," Tyler said. "Does that mean you found her?" "Yes," Zac said. "But that is a story for another time. Right now, we should focus on the issue at hand. Despite some people who are already distracted with other things." He pointed at Chase who was picking flower petals seeing if a particular girl loved him or not. They heard Riley say, "okay. I calibrated it to search the grids from left to right." "No, not left to right," Shelby said. "I've already calibrated it to search right to left." Tyler looked at her with a gleam in his eyes that Zac noticed. "You like her, don't you?" Zac asked. Tyler looked at Zac startled and said, "What do you mean?" "Trust me, I get it. Having a girlfriend myself, I give off the same look every time I see Evie," Zac said.

Koda suddenly jumped down from the tree, startling Tyler and Zac. "Koda!" Zac said. "I asked you to stop doing that," Tyler said. "Tyler, you smell," Koda replied with Tyler smelling his shirt and asking, "I do?" "No," Koda replied. "The air. Smell." Suddenly, the Dino Communicator went off in their pockets. Tyler pulled his out. Ms. Morgan was on the line and said, "Alien bio-signs in your area." Tyler looked at Shelby and said, "Hey, shut down the E-Tracer. We need to get out of here now." He grabbed the E-Tracer as Shelby said, "Careful, that's irreplaceable. "Okay. Start the jeep. We're right behind you," Riley told Tyler. "We'll keep watch while you load up." Tyler ran with the E-Tracer back to his jeep. Zac ran after him shouting, "I'll go with him!" Tyler ran and put the E-Tracer in the back of his Jeep and he and Zac jumped into it.

Tyler was trying to start it, when all of the sudden, Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby ran up and got in the Jeep, but they were all in their Ranger armor. Tyler and Zac looked around confused with Tyler saying, "Are we morphing?" Chase just gave him the quiet signal and pointed toward the road, signaling him to drive. Tyler shrugged and said, "Ok, I'll get us out of here," and starting driving away. Zac however, was not entirely convinced. "Why are the others coming with us when there is still equipment to put away?" he thought. "And there is no reason that they should be in Ranger mode right now. Something does not feel right." As Tyler continued to drive, Zac used his telepathy on Chase, but all he heard were gurgle sounds, very similar to how the Vivex sounded. Zac realized that he and Tyler were set up in a trap. He turned to alert Tyler, but he realized also that he could not reveal how he solved it; that would give away his merman powers and he was not ready to reveal that part of his life to the others. Tyler suddenly said, "The E-Tracer is safe now. You can de-morph." Chase and the others obviously said nothing. Zac had to think fast before they got back to the base with the fake Rangers. Zac lowered his hand so that Tyler and the fake Rangers could not see it and used his powers to overheat the Jeep engine, causing it to malfunction and Tyler had to pull over to see what the problem was. "What?" said Tyler. "Not now." He got out of the car while Zac got out and walked toward the back where the E-Tracer was, knowing that was what the fake Rangers wanted. "Sorry, guys," Tyler said. "I just tuned her up." Tyler lifted the hood of the Jeep while the fake Rangers started to stand and exit the Jeep toward Tyler. Tyler was looking at the engine and wondered, "How did this happen?" Suddenly, his communicator went off just as Zac was about to alert Tyler of the fake Rangers. Shelby's voice came out of it saying, "Is that supposed to by funny?" Tyler looked at the communicator and said, "Shelby?" Shelby looked annoyed and said, "You just took off and left us." Zac got out his Dino Morpher and pointed it at the fake Rangers while they were looking at Tyler as Tyler said, "What? I'm looking right…" "Tyler, it's a trap!" Zac shouted as Tyler looked up and saw the fake Rangers suddenly look back at Zac and turned back into Vivix. Zac fired his Morpher at the Vivix, but one suddenly came up from behind up to him and held him firm as another one grabbed the E-Tracer. Suddenly Poisandra, Curio, and a weird monster came up from behind Tyler and said, "How do you like my friend's cloning abilities?" "Now you two are just in our way!" Duplicon, the weird monster next to Poisandra, said. He charged Tyler and they started to fight as Zac fought out of the Vivix firm grasp and started to fight them off to get the E-Tracer back. The Vivix fought back as the one holding the E-Tracer walked back toward Poisandra as Zac ran up to Tyler. "Fake rangers? Nice trick." Tyler said. "But now you're facing real ones," Zac said. "You two are pretty tough," Duplicon said. "But not tough enough." He fired at the boys and both were blown back down the hill next to the road painfully. Poisandra laughed and said, "It wasn't very difficult to remove those annoyances. Great performance, boys! Now let's take our new machine and search for some Energems." She and her monsters walked away with the E-Tracer while Tyler and Zac were still down the hill, trying to get back up, but failed because they were in pain and disoriented.

Back at the base, the other Rangers were trying to find Tyler and Zac. "You find them?" Koda asked. Kendall sighed and said, "No, they still aren't responding." Riley walked over to the computer and said, "I'm going to scan the city for alien DNA." Shelby said, "When I talked to Tyler, he through he was with us. Whoever he and Tyler was with, they were fooling them. Suddenly the computer beeped. Riley looked at the screen and said, "Alien brio-signs detected in the city complex." "Then that's where we go, yes?" Koda asked. "Maybe we should split up," Shelbby suggested. "I could go back to the woods and retrace our steps and see if I can find Tyler and Zac." "Yeah, I'll go with you," Riley said as they started to walk toward the door. "No," Keeper said. "Kendall and I will continue to search for Tyler and Zac. You must work together to find the E-Tracer before Sledge can locate the Gold Energem." Shelby nodded and said, "You're right, we need to work as a team. Let's get moving." She and the others ran out the base doors to search for the E-Tracer.

Back near the woods, Zac finally started to get back up, thanks to his quick merman healing, and looked around. Poisandra and the other monsters were gone with the E-Tracer. Growling, he went toward Tyler and shook him awake. "Tyler," he said. "You need to get up. Poisandra and the others are gone, along with the E-Tracer." Tyler groaned and sat up, shaking his head to wake himself up. "Dang it!" Tyler shouted. "I should have known something was up when those fake Rangers came up to the Jeep morphed." He then turned to Zac and asked, "How did you notice they were fake before Shelby told me?" Zac tensed up. "Uh oh! How did he notice that?" Zac thought. He came up with a quick excuse. "As you were looking at the engine, they were starting to get out and walk toward you so I thought that something was amiss," Zac answered. Tyler did not completely buy it but nodded. "I also wonder what happened to my engine. I just tuned it up recently," he said. "Those fake Rangers must have damaged it while we were at the site when we weren't looking," Zac answered. Tyler sighed and said, "Well with it busted, how are we suppose to get back to base and to find Poisandra?" Zac thought about it. "Wait," he suddenly realized. "We could use those Dino cycles that Ms. Morgan invented recently," Zac said. Tyler nodded and pulled out the Dino Cycle Charger from his pocket, along with Zac. "DIno Cycle, Rev Up!" the boys shouted. They thrown the chargers into the air and two cycles materialized. The two boys jumped into the air and morphed into Power Rangers and got onto the Dino Cycles, racing back towards the city.

Shelby and the others Rangers were morphed and looking around the city for the aliens. "This is where Kendall said she last detected an alien signal," Shelby said. Chase sighed and said, "It's a big area. We need to keep looking." "Alright," Shelby said. "Be careful," Koda said. "Let's go," Riley said. They all split off into different directions. Up above, Fury was with Dupicon and said, "Fools! We'll wait for the Red and Aqua Rangers, then spring our Trap!" "Wait," Duplicon said. "Poisandra has the tracking device. And she says we attack now!" He turned around and turned four Vivix into fake Rangers. "My Clone Rangers will have them fighting themselves!" Duplicon said. Fury growled and said, "I hate those Ranger colors." Duplicon looked at his Clone Rangers and said, "Now, destroy the Power Rangers!" The Clone Rangers ran off to confront the Power Rangers. Fury stalked off and said, "So, Poisandra's stolen their tracking device." He growled and swiped his sword at a nearby statue, splitting it in half. "I've got to have my own prize to show Sledge," he growled. "Wait. The Red and Aqua Rangers. Yes. Those two are just the trophies I need." He laughed evilly.

The other Rangers regrouped. "I've got nothing," Chase said. "Koda, did you see anything from that tree?" Shelby asked. Koda looked down and said, "Just very angry squirrel." Riley looked over behind the group and said, "Hey, isn't that us?" The others turned and saw the Clone Rangers charging towards them. "Whoa!" Chase said. "I look pretty sweet." "Of course!" Shelby said. "Clone Rangers. That must bee how they fooled Tyler and Zac." Suddenly Vivix appeared behind the Rangers and starting attacking them. "You guys should take some acting classes," Chase said. "Because you're not fooling me!" The Clone Rangers got into the fight and starting confusing the other Rangers on who was who. "You may not look like us," Chase said. "But you're not as smart." He then shot down the Vivix and the Clone Rangers. "Chase," Shelby said. "How did you know who was who?" Chase laughed and said,"I slipped these into your belts." and pointed to little daisies that were in each of the Rangers' belts. "You're so clever," Shelby said. "Nice one," Riley said. "Now we show what real Rangers can do," Koda said. "Right," Shelby said. "Let's finish off these imposter!" They each got out a Dino Charger and powered up their Dino Steel to get their individual weapons. Then they charged the Clone Rangers. "You can fake the look," everyone said. "But you can't fake the skills of real Rangers." They attacked and defeated the Clone Rangers, causing them to change back into Vivix and dissolve.

Up where Poisnadra and Curio had the E-Tracer, Wrench came down from the ship to help them with it. "Let's see now," Wrench said. He pushed Curio away who was trying to get his hands on it. "You're not smart enough to bee touching this machine," Wrench said. "You don't know how smart I am," Curio retorted. "Of course I do," Wrench said. "I built your head from a seat cushion." Poisandra came from behind him and said, "Hurry up, Tin Man! Before those party crashing Rangers spoil my plan." "Have a heart," Wrench said. "This thing didn't come with an instruction manual." He turned back to the machine to figure out its mechanics while Poisandra huffed angrily.

Meanwhile, Tyler and Zac were still on their Dino Cycles, heading toward the city. They heard their communicators go off and saw that Ms. Morgan was contacting them. "Tyler? Zac?" she said. "What happened to you two? Are you guys OK?" "Long story, but we're fine," Tyler said. "Listen, Poisandra stole the E-Tracer. They fooled us," Zac said. "Well, maybe just Tyler," Zac thought in his head. "With Clone Rangers, we know," Ms. Morgan replied. "The others are fighting them now. I'm sending both of you the coordinates." Information came up in their helmets telling them where the other Rangers were. "Got them," Tyler said. "Tell them we're almost there," Zac said. Suddenly, lightning attacks came down on the boys and they had to dodge each attack on their cycles. "Who is that?" Tyler asked. The attacks became too much and both boys were thrown from the cycles and demorphed, rolling onto the pavement. They both groaned and stood up, looking around to see who attacked them. Suddenly, Fury came roaring at them and said, "Look what the cat caught." Zac smirked and said, "You haven't caught us yet." They dodged and fought off Fury's attacks, angering Fury further since the boys would not hold still for him so that he could attack them.

Back with the other Rangers, they were confronting Deplicon. "All my clones are gone!" he shouted. "Nothing left but the originals," Chase said. Duplicon growled and said, "So I'll destroy them!" He sent an attack toward the group, but Koda blocked it with his Stego Shield. However, he was starting to struggle and said, "May not be strong enough."

Back with Tyler and Zac, they were also starting to struggle with Fury. "You're no match for me, Rangers!" "Yeah?" Tyler asked. "Don't be so sure," Zac said. The boys kept attacking, but Fury was too strong and he knocked both boys away, knocking Tyler's bracelet off of his wrist. Fury picked it up and said, "What's this? Well, well, well. This brings back memories." Tyler got angry at that statement and said, "Then you did know my Dad." Zac looked at Tyler shocked. "How does Tyler's dad fit into this?" Zac thought. "I should have known you were his son," Fury said. "With those pathetic fighting skills. You're as weak as he was." Tyler growled and charged Fury, much to Zac's horror. "Tyler!" he shouted, but Tyler did not hear him as his rage was consuming him to fight Fury with all of his might, kicking him into a nearby car and causing Fury to drop his sword. Tyler walked over and kicked the sword away. "Did you say my father is weak?" Tyler shouted. "What do you know about him?" "I'll never tell you," Fury said. Fury ran towards his sword as Tyler charged him. Zac tried to get up to stop him, but struggled. "Come on," Zac said to himself. "I need to stop Tyler before he does something that he'll regret later. I can't let his rage control his actions. Believe me, I can relate." He thought back to when he used his powers to make a cart some bullies were driving slowly go backwards into the water as revenge for them being mean to him and Evie. He was angry at them but that was also around the time he found out that he has been lied to his whole life about his past where he was actually born a merman and his parents weren't really his parents. If Mimmi didn't come up and calm him down with her speech about him being lucky to have a family and she didn't, then he would have done something that he would regret for the rest of his life. He couldn't let Tyler make the same mistake. He slowly got up as his healing finally picked up the pace and he slowly started to chase after Tyler and Fury.

Back with the other Rangers, Koda was still using his Stego Shield to block Duplicon's attack. "I think I can break through," he said. He thrusted the shield forward and broke the attack. Duplicon was horrified and said, "Dupli-complication!" Shelby and Riley charged in and used their weapons to damage Duplicon and push him backwards. "That's all you got?" he asked. Chase appeared from behind the other Rangers and said, "Try a Para Chopper Blast!" and fired his weapon, shooting Duplicon and sending him backwards. "I need more Clone Rangers," he said. Vivix came out and were ready for Duplicon to change them into Clone Rangers. But the Rangers came up and said, "Not so fast!" and blasted the villains away. Shelby looked at the others and said, "We have to destroy him now or he'll keep making clones." "We need the Dino Spike," Chase said. "But we need Tyler here in order to do that," Riley said. "No time for that," Duplicon said and he charged the Rangers.

Back with Tyler and Zac, Tyler had pulled out his Dino Morpher and put it into sword mode and was continuing his battle with Fury. Swords clashed and Fury got knocked back into a car. Tyler charged and swung his sword down, causing the car to explode and Fury to bee blasted away. He landed painfully nearby and was struggling to get back up. Tyler walked over with anger in his eyes and yelled, "What did you do to him?" Fury just growled and did not answer him. "Tell me!" Tyler screamed. Fury just looked at him almost like he was daring Tyler to strike him, almost like he wanted Tyler to go over the edge. "Tyler!" Zac yelled as he finally caught up with the pair. "What are you doing?" "Fury knows what happened to my dad," Tyler said. "If he does not give that information up I'll…" "You'll what?" Zac asked. "Hurt him? Kill him?" Tyler continued to stare down Fury with his sword and said nothing. "I understand that you want answers about your dad," Zac said. "But getting those answers like this is not the way. You are letting your anger guide your actions. This makes you no better than Fury is." Zac paused for a moment and realized something. This also related to himself. He never met his birth fathe. But as much as he wanted answers for who his real father is, he was scared to ask Nerrisa because that could lead him to abandon his human life for a merman one. And he was not ready to make that decision yet. He also could not let anger guide Tyler's actions like it had happened to him in the past. He finally said, "What would your father think of this?" Tyler finally looked back at Zac, letting go of the anger and sadness start to creep in. Fury saw this and took advantage of the moment. "Fools!" he yelled and he swung his sword at Tyler knocking him back and to the ground. "Now to finish you!" Fury yelled as he charged Tyler. Zac saw this and ran in front of Tyler, grabbing his sword to block Fury. However, just as Fury was about to sing his sword down on the boys, he started to gasp in pain. "What is happening to me?" Fury yelled. Tyler and Zac looked at Fury and saw a weird golden energy come out of Fury, almost like something was escaping from him. "What is that?" Tyler asked. "I've got no clue," Zac said. "No!" screamed Fury. "I'm in control!" He concentrated and got the energy back into his body. Zac and Tyler stood up and were about to attack Fury when Tyler's communicator went off. "Tyler! Zac!" Chase shouted from the communicator. "We need you. We can't do the Dino Spike without you." Tyler looked at Fury, but Zac said, "Go. I'll deal with Fury." Tyler looked at him and said, "But…" "The others need you know," Zac said. "Go!" Tyler looked back at Fury, who was struggling to calm himself down after his weird energy attack, and ran off to where the Rangers were. Zac walked up to Fury and held his sword near his face. "I'm not going to take Tyler's place in asking what you did to his dad. That is for him to ask, not me. But what I would like to know is where the E-Tracer is." Fury laughed evilly and looked up at Zac and said, "Like I would give that away. I have my own plans with it. Bye for now, Ranger!" He raised his sword in the sky, causing lightning to come between the two, knocking Zac back. When Zac looked up, Fury was gone. "Dang it, he got away," Zac said. "Well, I better catch up with the others." He ran in the direction that Tyler ran in.

The other Rangers were struggling against Duplicon. "We can't take much more of this," Shelby said. Suddenly they heard, "Coming, guys. Energize! Dino Steel, Armor On." and saw Tyler come running in. He grabbed the Dino Spike Charger and yelled "Weapons combine!" All of the Rangers weapons combined and the others launched Tyler into the air. He grabbed the Dino Spike and yelled, "Dino Spike, Final Strike!" and threw it at Duplicon, who then exploded. Shelby came up to Tyler and hugged him. "Great timing," Chase said. "We worry," Koda said.

"No one splits us up," Riley said. Tyler turned to everyone and said, "We've got to stop Poisandra from tracking down the Gold Energem or the Ptera Zord." "Guys!" The group turned around and saw Zac running up to them in his Ranger armor. "I'm sorry, Tyler. Fury got away from me. I think he went to where the E-Tracer is." "It's alright," Tyler replied. "We just need to worry about the E-Tracer." "There it is!" Riley said, pointing to a balcony nearby where Poisandra, Curio, and Wrench were with the E-Tracer. "Well done, Wrench!" Poisandra said. "Stop her!" Tyler yelled and the group ran toward the villains.

Suddenly, Sledge's giant beam came out of the sky and landed where Duplicon exploded and Duplicon reappeared giant sized. "I can clone giants now!" he yelled. "Vivix, rise!" Suddenly Vivix came from behind the group and formed their own giant monster. "You Rangers want me?" asked Duplicon. He used his powers to turn the Vivix giant into a giant Fury clone. "You'll have to go through a giant Fury first!" The Clone Fury swung his sword downward toward the Rangers, who dodged out of the way. They called their Zords in. They used Tyler's, Koda's, and Shelby's Zords to make the main Megazord and all six Rangers jumped into the cockpit. They tried to fight off Duplicon, but Duplicon's attacks were more effective at damaging the Megazord since the Clone Fury was attacking from behind. "They're attacking from both sides," Tyler said. Suddenly, their communicator's went off and the group saw that Ms. Morgan was contacting them. "Activate Dino Charger Number 17," she said. "It will release the toxic gas of the dinos." "Did she just say what I think she said?" Shelby asked. "Toxic gases?" Riley asked. "You mean fart gas?" Koda asked. "You can call it that," Ms. Morgan said. "Eww, that is going to be gross," Zac said. "Man, you think of everything," Chase said. "Hey, let's try it," Tyler said. "Dino Gas Charger, Ready." He unleashed the Charger's gas on the Clone Fury and then Duplicon. "My eyes!" Duplicon shouted. "It's stinging my eyes." Chase laughed and said, "That's one nasty move." "Yep, I was right, that was gross. But surprisingly effective," Zac said. "Smell very bad!" Koda shouted. "All right," Tyler said. "Let's finish it!" "Please. Finish faster," Koda said. "We need the hammer of the Ankle Zord to crush these fakes," Shelby said to Zac. "Sure thing," Zac said pulling out the Ankylo Charger. "Dino Charger, Ready! Summon Ankylo Zord!" The Ankylo Zord appeared and took the Stego Zord's spot on the Megazord. "Ankylo Zord," everyone shouted. "Hammer Punch!" They punched the Clone Fury, who changed back into the Vivix giant. They used the Tricera Drill to destroy it. They turned the Megazord to Duplicon and yelled, "Ankylo Zord, Final Hammer Punch!" which destroyed Duplicon for good. "Monster extinct!" Tyler shouted.

"Hurry, Wrench, hurry!" Poisandra shouted at Wrench, who was trying to work the E-Tracer. The device turned on and started to trace. "It's working!" Wrench shouted. "It's honing in on the Gold Energem's Ptera Zord." "Hurray for me!" Poisandra shouted. "Come on, let's go get it." Suddenly, lightning attacked the group as Fury walked toward them and said, "Yes! There it is! Like fruit for the picking." "Fury!" Poisandra shouted. "You rotten apple!" "Congrats on finding the device," Fury said. "Too bbad you couldn't keep your cotton candy hands on it." He picked up the device and started to walk away with it. "Oh, you furry thief," Poisandra said. "You know Sledge will destroy you for this." "Wrong," Fury said. "With these coordinates, I know exactly where to find the Ptera Zord. Sledge will love me for this."

The Rangers came up down below and saw Fury walked away with the E-Tracer. "Fury is leaving with E-Tracer," Koda said. "We can't let him take it," Riley said. Tyler turned to Chase and said, "Chase, you're the only one capable of hitting it from this distance." "Got it," Chase said, pulling out his Dino Morpher and had it in gun mode. "But my E-Tracer.." Shelby said. "Sorry, Shelby," Tyler said. "If Sledge gets it, he could find all the lost Energems." "Tyler has a point," Zac said. "Do you want the villains to find the rest of the Energems along with the other Zords?" Shelby looked down and nodded. Chase aimed for the E-Tracer and fired at it, destroying it. "Nice job, hotshot," Tyler said. Fury growled angrily. But then he saw a Gold Dino Charger sticking out of the E-Tracer and pulled it out. He laughed and turned to the Rangers and said, "You didn't destroy it all, Rangers. With this, I will control the Ptera Zord." The Rangers shouted "No!" as Fury laughed evilly and walked away, disappearing.

Back at the command cave, Shelby was walking in with the damaged E-Tracer to Ms. Morgan and said, "The E-Tracer may have given Fury the location of the Ptera Zord. And he also has the Ptera Charger." Ms. Morgan sighed and said, "Even if he finds the Zord, that charger shouldn't have enough power left to activate its battle mode. And they don't have the technology to charge it." Tyler sighed from behind them and said, "I should've known those Clone Rangers were fakes. There's nobody like you guys." Keeper came up from behind him and said, "The E-Tracer was destroyed, but you worked as a team. If you had not, then it would now be in Sledge's hands. "Keeper's right," Chase said. "We're united. Sledge, Fury, Poisandra, they are divided." "That's why we'll win," Riley said. "Because of our teamwork. I mean, maybe not today, but soon." Shelby looked over at Tyler and said, "I have something of yours." She reached out her hand, which had Tyler's dad's bracelet in it. Zac looked shocked. He must have forgotten to pick it up from the ground because he was too focused on Tyler and Fury. But he was glad that Shelby remembered it. "You found my Dad's bracelet," Tyler said. Shelby helped Tyler put it back on and Chase, Riley, and Zac looked at each other with knowing looks, since they knew that the two had feelings for each other, but have not revealed them to each other. Koda looked confused and itched his head because he did not get it. "Thanks," Tyler said. "No problem," Shelby replied. "When I was fighting Fury today," Tyler said. "He suddenly froze up. As if he lost control." "It's true," Zac said. "It looked like something was inside him trying to break free." "Maybe it's his fun side trying to get out?' Chase joked. "Whatever it is, we take it on together," Koda said, holding out his fist. Tyler raised his as Shelby said, "That's right, Koda." and everyone joined their fists and said, "Together!"

Zac looked down at his watch and saw the time. "Uh oh!" he said as the others looked at him. "I need to get home. My Australian friends are expecting a call from them in 15 minutes. I will see all of you tomorrow," he said and ran out of the cave and toward the ocean since he swam there that morning because he overslept. Tyler looked at where he left with concern on his face. "Something wrong, Tyler?" Shelby asked. "Just confused," Tyler said. "Zac seemed to know way before me that the Clone Rangers were fakes. Like he felt something was off about them. And he suggested that they were the ones to sabotage my Jeep, but when I looked at it, everything was in place. It was like the engine suddenly overheated for no reason. Almost like to make sure I did not get back to base with the fakes. And when I looked back at Zac, he was near the E-Tracer like he was guarding it." Everyone looked at each other. "Do you think he is hiding something from us?" Chase asked. "Maybe," Tyler said. "Whatever it is," Ms. Morgan said. "It can't be evil. He was still protecting you and the E-Tracer. Besides, the Energem would not have chosen him if he was evil." Everyone nodded their heads. "Let's ask him when he comes back tomorrow," Shelby suggested. "Agreed," everyone said. Keeper looked at the group with concern. "Oh, Zac," he thought. "I fear that you are going to have to reveal yourself sooner than you want to. If we want to work together fully…"


	9. Chapter 9: When Logic Fails

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

Chapter 9: When Logic Fails

 **I humbly** **apologize that this chapter is late. I got married two weeks ago and my focus was on that. As soon as I got back from my honeymoon, I tried to get this chapter finished as soon as I could. I hope this chapter is what you guys are expecting since some big stuff goes down.**

 **Also thanks eternalfire123 for favoriting and following this story. It means a lot to me.**

Zac ran into his apartment and slammed the door. He looked at the clock and let out a huge sigh. "Just made it," he said. "I can make that video call to Evie and Cam." He went over to his desk where his computer was sitting and logged on. He connected to the Internet and went to the video call setting. Soon, he saw Evie and Cam's faces on his screen. "Hey, Zac," Cam said. "How has it been, man? It's been a while since we last talked." "Hey to you too, Cam," Zac said. "Sorry that I have not contacted you guys sooner. Life here has been getting crazy busy for me." "Since you became a Ranger?" Evie asked. "How did you know?" Zac asked. "Come on, Zac," Cam said. "We saw the news about a new Aqua Ranger joining the other Rangers. Since that is the same color as the stone that you found, we put two and two together." Zac sighed and said, "Well, I guess that's another secret you guys know now. Oh, and the stone is called an Energem by the way." "Energem?" Cam and Evie said. "Yes," Zac said. And he told Cam and Evie the whole story about how he figured out who the other Rangers were, what his stone is, why the stone is important, and how he became a Ranger. "Man," Cam said. "Who know that you found a rock from space?" "Cam!" Evie said. "Stop joking around. What Zac found is important. But what I want to know is why a stone from space was found on Mako." "Maybe when the dinosaurs went extinct, Mako Island could have been part of a piece of land that went under then came back up as the island," Zac suggested. "Wow, Zac," Cam said. "Since when have you gotten all scientific? You always sucked at science. You needed Weilan's help with a science test, remember?" "Please don't remind me of that," Zac said. "I still am embarrassed from that. But dropping that subject, how is everyone?" "They're good," Evie said. "Your parents miss you, obviously, and everyone is enjoying summer break so far." "And Mimmi?" Zac asked. Cam and Evie looked at each other then turned to the camera and said, "I think you sing so far away is starting to affect her," Evie said. "I can tell that she is trying to put up a rave face, but I think she misses the close connection with you. She tried asking a few times if we knew where you were, but we keep up that secret." Zac sighed and said, "I hate lying to her about where I am. But I fear that Nerrissa will use her to find me. And I don't want that to happen to her. She is my sister and I care about her too much to see her get used like that. I don't want Nerrissa to come all the way here to drag me back to her home up north. It could ruin everything that has been going on here. That would risk the other Rangers learning my secret, well other than Keeper…" "What?" Evie and Cam shouted. "Someone knows your secret already?" Cam said. "Guys, it's not what you think," Zac said. "His name is Keeper and he is the alien that is the guardian of the Energems. He could sense my merman powers and realized what I am. He promised to keep my secret from the others." "Well, that's a relief," Evie said. "But Zac, I feel that you need to talk to Mimmi at some point. I don't know how much longer Cam and I can keep her away from contacting you. Just think about its ok?" Zac looked down. Evie was right, as always. He knew that he was hurting Mimmi by keeping his location a secret, but he did miss the close connection he had with her. He could not risk a telepathic conversation due to Nerrissa probably using that to trace back to him. He sighed and looked back at the camera. "Why don't you have Mimmi join you guys on our next video call?" he asked. "Alright," Cam said. Zac looked at the clock and said, "It's getting late for me. I better get some sleep. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow." "Ok," Evie said. "We will talk to you soon. Bye." And the connection quit out. Zac sighed and said, "Well, let's see what tomorrow holds…"

At the museum the next day, the other Rangers were sitting at the Dino Cafe. "So," Chase said. "What do we do about Zac?" "I feel we should just ask him straight up," Tyler said. "There have been too many weird things revolving around him lately." "Well, let's look at the facts," Riley said. "He somehow figured out our secret quickly, he knew about the fake Rangers faster than Tyler, and was in the Jeep when it mysteriously overheated. It makes me wonder if there is something else about him that he is hiding from us." "Riley is right," Shelby said. "I also feel that he is hiding something from us. I remember the other day when we were cleaning the Cafe, he begged me to do the table cleaning instead of him. When I brought the water bucket to him, he tensed up. He said something about a bad incident at his friend's cafe back home involving a water spill and him slipping bad and injuring his head. I bought it, but he also won't deliver drink orders, just food orders." "So maybe he has a fear of water," Chase said. "It is a common fear to have." "But he use to be a lifeguard," Shelby said. "I remember seeing that on the resume that Ms. Morgan was holding. So why would he have a fear of water?" Everyone was puzzling about this when Zac walked into the cafe. "Hey, guys," Zac said. He saw their puzzled faces and asked, "What's going on. You guys look confused for some reason." Everyone looked up at him and Tyler said, "Well, there was something we wanted to ask you." Zac tensed up but said, "Ok, ask away." "Well, we have been thinking that you are hiding something from us," Chase said. "Chase!" Riley said. "What?" Chase asked. "I thought we were going to ask him straight up." "But not like that!" Riley said. "What do you guys mean?" Zac asked, sweat starting to drip down the side of his face. "Well," Tyler said. "There just have been some weird things about you that we have noticed. Like how you discovered our secret quickly, how you figured out the fake Rangers right away, how my Jeep mysteriously overheated when you were with me, and how you never want to be around water when working here." Zac gulped. "Oh, no," Zac thought. "They're going to discover everything. Not good." Just then, Koda walked in with a cup of water and a burger in his hands. "Hey, guys," he said. "Sorry, I oversleep. What did I…" And he tripped over a chair leg, throwing the burger in the air, and the water spilling right onto Zac's shirt. Zac gasped and said, "Sorry, guys. Hold that thought. I need to grab a towel from the back." And he ran quickly to the storage closet in the kitchen and just as he closed the door, his tail emerged and he fell to the ground, right onto multiple boxes. The gang heard it and ran to the closet. "Zac," Shelby called. "Are you ok?" Zac sighed and looked at his tail. Sighing, he said, "I'm ok. I just tripped on some boxes when I came in here." "I'm going to come in and help," Tyler said. Zac quickly used his powers to lock the closet door. So when Tyler tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "The door is locked," Tyler said. "Sorry, Tyler," Zac said. "I must have hit the lock when I fell. I will be out soon." Suddenly, everyone's communicator's went off. "Come down to the command cave," Ms. Morgan said. "Alright," everyone minus Zac said. "What about Zac?" Koda asked. "I heard it," Zac shouted from the closet. "I am almost dried off. I will meet you guys there." Everyone nodded and ran to the command cave. Zac sighed and aimed his hand to his tail and started to use his powers to dry his tail. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," he said. "They are too observant. Maybe Keeper was right. I shouldn't keep this secret from my team…"

When Zac walked into the cave, he saw Riley playing with a set that had marbles going through an obstacle course. "The length of an arc is the circumference of a circle," he mumbled. Ms. Morgan and Shelby were pulling out broken pieces of the E-Tracer. "Our beautiful E-Tracer, up in smoke," Shelby said. Suddenly, Koda's stomach growled loudly. "Sorry," he said. "I very hungry. Did not finish burger." "It's ok, Koda," Zac said and everyone turned to look at him. "I can make you a replacement one later." "All dried off, I see," Ms. Morgan said. "Don't worry about that, Zac. I sent Chase to get pizza." "So," Shelby said. "Fury knows where the Ptera Zord is, but will he tell Sledge?" Ms. Morgan looked at Shelby and said, "Sledge doesn't care about the Zord. Unless it leads Fury to the Gold Energem." "But," Shelby said. "Fury betrayed Poisandra, so Sledge can't trust him anymore." Koda and Tyler held their heads as Tyler said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I am so confused. What's our next step?" "Maybe we eat," Koda said. Everyone rolled their eyes and Riley said, "I think I solved it." Everyone looked at Riley as he continued. "We need to look at the problem logically," he said. He took out three marbles and labelled them Sledge, Poisandra, and Fury. "Now, they each take their own paths," he said as he put the marbles in the obstacle course. "Chasing after power, love, maybe revenge. But, there's one thing that all of them need first." "The Energems." Zac said. "Exactly," Riley said. "Their only chance getting an Energem is with a very powerful weapon. Like the Ptera Zord. Different paths, leading to one conclusion." The marbles all landed in the same finish point as Tyler said, "So, they've got to power up the Ptera Charger." Everyone nodded as Ms. Morgan said, "But there's only one lab like ours with equipment strong enough to energize the Dino Charger." "Then logically," Riley said. "That lab is where we start."

Everyone started to head out of the lab when Zac said, "Can you guys wait for me out at the storage garage for a few minutes. I need to ask Keeper something before we go," Everyone nodded and headed out but Shelby sneaked behind and hid in on of the side caves. Zac turned around and called for Keeper. Keeper appeared and said, "I had a feeling that you would need to speak to me." Zac sighed and said, "I think that you were right. About sharing my secret with the others." Shelby let out a silent gasp. "So he is hiding something from us," she thought. She moved a little closer so she could hear better. "Your friends are very observant for humans their age," Keeper said. "You should never underestimate them." "I don't," Zac replied. "I have tried to be careful around them. But I could sense that those Rangers were fake. I had to overheat Tyler's Jeep so that he wouldn't take those fakes back here. I had to run into the closet today when Koda spilled his drink on me this morning. I don't like keeping this from them, but I don't want someone to use them to get to me." Shelby was shocked y each confession that Zac gave, but was surprised to hear that Zac cared enough for them that he did not want them to get hurt because of him. Keeper looked at Zac and said, "I understand that you want to protect the others from your burdens, but all of you are a team. Where all of you should share each other's burdens and protect each other from dangers. I believe that your teammates can handle this secret. The time is now, I feel, to let them know." He looked straight at the cave where Shelby was hiding. "Starting with the one that is hiding in there." Shelby gasped and slowly came out of her hiding place, shocking Zac. "Shelby?" asked Zac. "What are you doing here? I thought you were outside with the others." "Sorry," Shelby said. "Everyone has been suspicious of you and I hid because I felt that what you wanted to talk to Keeper about was related to what you were hiding from us." "Very observant," Keeper said. He turned to Zac and said, "Remember what I said, Zac. You can trust your team." And he disappeared, leaving Zac and Shelby alone in the command cave. Sighing, Zac turned to Shelby and said, "I'm sorry that I have been keeping this from you guys. I don't want to place this burden on anyone else. Shelby walked up to Zac, put her hand on his shoulder and said, "It's ok. I understand. You want to protect us. But speaking from the team, we want to protect you as well. With whatever secret you have. You can trust us." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks Shelby. But I should tell everyone at the same time. First, we need to get to that lab." Shelby nodded and they both ran out of the lab to catch up with the others.

At the lab that the Rangers were heading to, two kids were playing on a giant chess board. But a monster, Puzzler, was watching them nearby. "Hey," he said to himself. "What are those kids doing? How dare they touch my game. What are they doing at an abandoned lab anyway?" Suddenly Fury shouted, "Puzzler, get in here!" "Oh, calm down," Puzzler shouted back. "I'm coming." He ran over to where Fury was standing. Fury glared at him and said, "You need to make sure that the Rangers don't break in." Puzzler looked at Fury and asked, "What could possible be os use in this old lab?" Fury growled and said, "No questions from you, Game Board! If you let anyone in here, I'll use your bones to sharpen my sword." Puzzler started to shake with fear and said, "Don't worry, Master Fury. No one can outsmart me. The Puzzler never loses."

Fury walked into an old part of the lab where Wrench was pulling out old pieces of equipment. "This is crazy," he said. "Fury actually thinks he could energize a Dino Charger with this old medical equipment. He's gone insane. Fury!" He saw Fury walk in and Fury said, "Wrench, hook this Dino Charger up to energize." Wrench sighed and said, "Master Fury, this old machine probably doesn't even work. It could blow you up. Or worse, it could blow me up." Fury grabbed Wrench and yelled, "Stop your crying, Metal Man, and just recharge the Ptera Charger before your tears turn you to rust." Wrench grabbed the Charger and said, "Yes, Master Fury."

Puzzler was looking out the window again. He saw the two boys still playing chess and said, "What, they're still playing? Huh. Amateur move! It's not that complicated, move the bishop. The bishop! No, no, no! So illogical!" He ran outside to where the two boys were and said to them, "Who taught you to play? Those are the worse moves I've ever seen!" The two boys screamed and ran away. "What's wrong?" Puzzler said. "Can't handle the truth?" The two boys ran past Chase, who was riding his skateboard with pizzas in his hands and fell over, dropping the pizzas. He got up frustrated and yelled, "Hey! Thanks!" "You scaredy-cats!" Chase looked behind him and saw Puzzler. The monster started to go back into the lab as Chase ran after him and said, "Wait, stop." He ran up and fight Puzzler. "Who are you?" Puzzler asked. "Their babysitter?" Chase held onto the monster's weapon and said, "You owe the Rangers a new lunch." "You're a Ranger?" Puzzler asked. "Oh, geez!" "What are you doing here?" Chase asked. Puzzler laughed and said, "If you were as smart as me, you wouldn't have to ask." Chase back up and started to throw chess pieces at Puzzler. The monster laughed and said, "Don't you know? Pawns always lose. Time to crown you." He throw Chase to the ground and said, "Checkmate. Now to destroy you." Suddenly, the other Rangers came running up. "Chase!" Shelby shouted. Puzzler turned toward the group and said, "Yikes! Probably more Rangers." He ran back inside while the Rangers helped Chase up. Koda asked, "Hey, Chase, you okay?" "I'm fine," Chase replied. Shelby looked up at the building and said, "Fury must be up there with the Ptera Charger." "Well," Tyler said, "Let's go pay him a visit." "Gladly," Zac said as everyone charged inside except for Koda who asked Chase about the pizza. Chase looked at him and said, "Sorry, bro." Koda's stomach growled, but he and Chase ran into the building with the others.

"One of me against six of them?" Puzzler said. "Those odds are illogical." He ran further into the building. Meanwhile, the Rangers entered the building themselves. "Doesn't look like anyone's been here in years," Shelby said. "We have to find that lab fast," Tyler said. "Let's split up," Riley said. Everyone else looked at each other as Riley ran ahead. The others ran in different directions, but Zac stood where he was. "Why do I have a very bad feeling about this?" he said as he starting running in a separate direction.

"Ah, yes…" Puzzler said as he was running through the building. "Time to play a little game." And he started using his powers to turn the old lab into a confusing maze to trap the Rangers. "Good luck finding your way out, Rangers. I love a good game." He ran up some stairs. he stopped at a floor plan and changed it. "Wait, I can change it all at once. A dead end here, a false turn there. This maze will keep the Rangers trapped forever." He went up to a themostat. "And, to make the game more interesting, perhaps a bit of a freeze." He used his powers to turn down the temperature to freezing. He laughed and ran up the stairs, just as Riley came up to where the monster just was. Riley went over to pull back a window curtain, but saw a brick wall. "Huh," he said. "That's odd." He walked up to the floor plan, but was confused by its layout. "That doesn't make any sense."

Tyler was running down a hallway, calling to his teammates. He opened a door and went through, only to come out in the same hallway. "Same hallway," he said.

Shelby was running up stairs from the third floor, but got confused when she reached the next floor and saw it was the third floor. "Third floor again?" she asked. "No way!"

Chase was walking down a hallway and opened a door, but was shocked that it led to outside on a roof downward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said.

Koda walked into a storage room and found a vending machine. "Whoa, hold on," he said. His stomach growled loudly, with Koda holding his stomach, remembering that he was starving. He looked up and saw cookies in the vending machine. "Cookie." He went up and shook the machine, not knowing how it worked since he was a caveman. He tried to stick his arm up through the bottom, but it did not fit. He saw the money slot so he looked through his pockets and found no money. His stomach growled again as he looked at the cookie longingly.

Zac was running down a hallway and found the end of the hallway blocked off. He tried going back in the direction he came, but that was now blocked off. He was trapped in the hallway. "Something is not right here," he said. He tried to open the windows, but they wouldn't open. "This has to be that monster's work." He used his powers to open the window, but as he was about to go through it, a brick wall magically appeared and blocked his escape. "What is going on here?"

Riley walked up and down the stairs and was starting to feel the cold build up. "Whoa," he said. "It's freezing in here." He looked around and realized, "Wait a second, I've been here before. I was just here. What? This is some kind of looping maze. Come on, think outside the ox. Come on." He looked up at the vents and realized that those may not be affected. "Think outside the box, yes, that's it!" He climbed up and opened the vent, looking inside and realized that yes, the vents were not affected. He pulled out his communicator to contact the others. "Guys," he said. "Can you hear me? Guys? Tyler? Shelby?" "I'm here," Tyler said. He was shivering badly. "But, I have no idea where here is. And it is so cold." "I keep running up the same stairway," Shelby said. "Trying to keep warm." "I'm stuck in the loop too," Chase said. "I still hungry," Koda said. "I managed to get a window open," Zac said. "But a wall somehow magically appeared over it. I think that monster did something to the building to confuse us. And it really is getting cold in here." Zac looked around and saw ice forming on the walls and looked at his fingers and saw ice forming on them. "Oh, no!" Zac shouted as his tail appeared and he fell to the ground hard. "Zac, are you okay?" Riley asked. "What happened?" "I'm fine," Zac replied, looking down at his tail. "I just tripped." "Listen," Riley said. "I found a way out. We need to.." But the communicators went to static. "Guys?" Riley asked. But he got no reply. Tyler was shivering in the hallway. Shelby was running the stairs over and over again. Chase was sitting on the ground. Koda was still looking at the cookie longingly. Zac was trying to fry his tail, but the ice was still forming quickly and not allowing him to dry. Riley put his communicator away and climbed into the vent.

He started crawling the vents looking for a way out. Suddenly, he heard Fury scream and crawled in the direction of that sound. He and Wrench were down in an abandoned part of the lab where Wrench had turned on the machine to charge the Dino Charger and was shocked to see a golden energy come out of Fury and somehow charge the Charger. "I can't believe it's working," Wrench said. "The Ptera Charger is gaining power. It's almost full." Up above them in the vents, "Riley watched through the slits of the vents. "I can't control it much longer!" Fury yelled. "Just a little bit more," Wrench said. Riley watched in awe. "That must be what Tyler and Zac saw," Riley said. Fury screamed again and yelled, "Turn it off!" Wrench did so. He pulled out the Charger, which Riley saw in shock. "Give me the Charger!" Fury shouted. And he stormed out of the room with Wrench following behind in confusion to how the charger was charged.

Koda was still trying to find a way to get the cookie out of the vending machine. "Oh," he said. "Come here." He was trying to get a quarter that he found under the vending machine so that he could pay to get the cookie out. But was having a hard time getting it, much to his frustration.

Up on the roof, Puzzler was relaxing on a chair drinking a tropical drink. "Who said life isn't all fun and games?" he said. "I told you to guard the building!" Fury shouted from behind. "Way ahead of you, boss," Puzzler said, looking at Fury through his sunglasses. "I already caught the Rangers in my never ending maze." From another part of the roof, Riley opened the vent and quietly exited it to the roof, listening to Puzzler and Fury. "Good work," Fury told Puzzler as Riley was listening in. "Once I get the Ptera Word, I'll have it and the Rangers. Sledge will beg me to come back. Finally, he'll understand that I should be his most trusted general." Suddenly Riley's communicator went off and he saw that Ms. Morgan was contacting him. "Riley, what's going on? I haven't been able to contact any of the other Rangers." 'Okay," Riley said. "I found the Ptera Charger but Fury has it. It's full of power." "You've got to get that charger," Ms. Morgan said. "But the others are trapped," Riley said. "Riley," Ms. Morgan said. "You may not get another chance. You said it yourself, we've got to do what's logical and right now, that means stopping Fury." Riley turned back to the conversation between Fury and Puzzler. Fury was saying, "Time for me to go get the Ptera Zord." Riley saw that Fury was walking in his direction and hid behind the vents as Fury passed. He started to follow Fury, but decided that he could not leave his friends behind to suffer at the hands of Puzzler.

Shelby was still walking up the endless stairs shivering. "Gotta keep…warm," she said. Chase was sitting in a hallway shivering, trying to communicate on his communicator, but all he got was static. Suddenly his communicator froze due to the cold temperature. Tyler was still walking in a hallway shivering. Koda finally got the quarter he wanted from underneath the vending machine and put it in the machine. He saw the cookie starting to come out, but it got stuck and could not come out. Koda gave a look of disappointment. Zac was still trying to dry his tail using his powers, but because the ice kept forming around him and he could not get dry. "Come on!" he shouted.

Back up on the roof, Riley held his sword in front of Puzzler. "Huh?' Puzzler said, looking at Riley. "Let my friends go or you're history," Riley said. "Ha! That would bee illogical," Puzzler said. "If you destroy me, your friends will be ice cubes. They have no chance to escape, even your friend who was almost successful." "Wait," Riley said. "What do you mean one of them was almost successful?" 'Your little aqua Ranger," Puzzler said. "He manage to open one of the windows to the building even though they were locked and barred. So I had to put a wall over it before he could escape. But he and your other friends will freeze to death. Perhaps, we can solve this. I challenge you to a game. If you win, your friends go free! But, if I win, I'll your Energem." Riley looked down at his Energem, then looked back at Puzzler. "Challenge accepted," Riley said, putting down his sword.

Elsewhere with Fury, he said, "That heart-shaped freak Poisandra is in for a surprise when I show up in the Ptera Zord." He continued his search.

Back at the lab, Puzzler and Riley were deep into their game of vertical chess. "You're clearly no match for my superior intellect," Puzzler said. "Yeah," Riley said sarcastically. "I can see I'm in way over my head." He then moved one of his pieces and took one of Puzzler's pieces. "Huh," Puzzler said. "Hey, how'd I miss that? Maybe I underestimated your ability, Green Ranger. Form now on I will stay several moves ahead of you. With my superior intellect there is no way you should ever beat me. Huh. Look at that. Your pieces are wide open. Amateur." As Puzzler was rambling on, Riley pulled out 5 marbles and was carefully throwing them down the vents towards his friends when Puzzler was not looking.

The first marble came to Chase, who looked up at the vents and said, "Riley, you beauty." The next one came to Shelby who said, "Riley's marble." The next one came to Tyler, who looked up at the vents from his position lying on the floor. The next one came to Koda, who was moping over his cookie. He climbed up some boxes and jumped into the vents, but saw that there were cookies in the boxes he jumped on. His stomach growled and he sighed. The last marble found its way to Zac, who was lying on the floor with his tail. He looked at the vent but saw that it was too high from his position. "Come on, Zac," he said to himself. He summoned all of his strength and power to heat up the entire hallway to overpower the cold. Steam rises from every point and Zac was dry in no time with no frost anywhere on him and climbed into the vents. However, the steam was making its way into the vents and the other Rangers noticed the steam in the vents. The four met up at a middle point that leads to one path to the roof. "What's with the steam?" Chase asked. "I don't know," Shelby said. Suddenly, Zac crawled up to them, and the Rangers saw that the steam was coming from the direction he came from. "Zac?" Koda said. "Where is that steam coming from?" Tyler asked. "The building is freezing, yet you have no frost on you and steam is coming from your direction.." "Look," Zac said. "I know you guys have your suspicions of me." The other Rangers looked at him shocked that he knew they were on to him. "I will tell you guys everything once this is over with. Right now, we need to get to Riley on the roof." Everyone nodded and crawled toward the roof.

Puzzler made his last move and said, "Huh! I win! Now give me your Energem!" Riley looked at him and said, "Oh, I don't think so. You see, the game wasn't chess." "Surprise!" Puzzler turned around and saw 5 angry Rangers staring him down. Riley said, "The game was to escape the maze." He looked at Zac and was surprised that he was not covered in frost like the others and related that back to Puzzler telling him that Zac almost escaped despite the traps, but decided now was not the time to figure that out. "Inconceivable!" Puzzler shouted. "Oh," Riley said. "And that reminds me. Checkmate!" "What?" Puzzler shouted. "But, how?" Riley moved into formation with the others and they all got their Dino Chargers out and morphed. "I'm down playing games!" Puzzler shouted. "I'm gonna destroy you!" The Rangers charged toward Puzzler. "Check out my game pieces, Rangers!" Puzzler shouted as he summoned Vivex. The Rangers did their roll call as they charged the Vivex.

Back with Fury, he was still searching for the Ptera Zord. "These are the coordinates from the Ranger's E-Tracer," Fury said. "Time to show the world how furious I can be." He pulled out the Charger and activated it, throwing it into the air. "Summon, Ptera Zord." The Charger went into a volcano, where the Zord was hibernating. It roared and flew out of the volcano, toward the city. "I've done it!" Fury shouted.

Back with the Rangers, each one was fighting a section of Vivex. "You were right, pawns do always lose," Chase said. "If you like games, you'll get a kick out of this!" Shelby shouted. "What do you think, guys? Are these monsters getting easier to fight or is it just me?" Riley said. Koda was fighting one on one with Puzzler. "Easier?" Puzzler said about Riley's comment. "He doesn't understand the rules!" "Riley," Koda said. "You make monster angry. Dino Morpher Blast!" He shot at Puzzler, blasting him backwards. "Great shooting, Koda," Zac said from behind him as the others came up. "Guys," Koda said. "I very hungry." Everyone laughed as Puzzler got up. "You have to do better than that if you're gonna win this game." Puzzler shouted. "Tyler," Zac said. "We need to combine our power. Use the combine charger." "Right," Tyler said. "Time for this game to be over." He handed the Charger to Koda to power up. "Finish this, Koda," Tyler said. "Thanks," Koda said. He put the Charger into his Dino Morpher and blasted it at Puzzler, who exploded. Suddenly, the group heard thunder from above and looked up. "Oh, no!" Shelby shouted. "The Ptera Zord," Chase said. "Fury must have control of it!" Zac shouted. "But we cannot hurt our friend," Koda said. "We don't have a choice," Tyler said. "We have to fight him." They summoned the Megazord and formed the Para-Raptor formation. They tried their best to fight, but the Ptera Zord was too strong. And to make matters worse, Sledge used his mega beam to revive Puzzler and grow him. "I'm at the top of my game!" he shouted. He went and attacked the Megazord while the Ptera Zord was attacking them from above. "Who do we fight?" Koda asked. "Let's deal with this one problem at a time," Tyler said. They used their final attack on Puzzler and sent him toward the Ptera Zord, and the Lord attacked and destroyed him. "Whoa!" Zac said. "The Ptera Zord must have thought it was being attacked. The Zord then popped the Charger out and flew away. Fury caught the Charger and said, "That didn't go as planned. But once I recharge the Ptera Zord and I will be back to destroy the Rangers. He laughed manically and walked away.

Up on Sledge's ship, Sledge was walking through his cell block as Poisandra tailed him saying, "Now, Sledgems. Let's not make any rash decisions. Remember how often failed before. And he just destroyed Puzzler. Terrible, right?" "But," Sledge said as they came into the transport room. "Fury has control of the Ptera Zord. That's what I care about." Fury came out of his transport pod and said, "Master Sledge, I have returned." "I knew you'd come in handy someday," Sledge said. "A cat always lands on its feet," Fury replied. "So," Sledge said putting his arm around Fury. "Tell me about the Ptera Zord. How do we finally destroy the Rangers with it?" "I have a plan, Master Sledge," Fury said and he and Sledge walked away with Poisandra pushing aside a Vivex in frustration. "Sometimes, it's like I'm invisible in this place," Poisandra said. Then the door closed on her. "Oh! See what I mean? Open up! Oh!"

Back at the command cave, Riley was sitting down with Keeper. "I was so close to getting the Ptera Charger," Riley said. "I wish I could've stopped Fury." "Going after Fury would have been the logical decision," Keeper said. "But it wouldn't have been the best decision," Ms. Morgan said coming up to them. Chase and Koda came in and Koda said, "You save your tribe. Act with heart. Always good." "I agree," Chase said. "Especially since I'm that tribe." Tyler and Shelby came in with replacement pizza with Shelby saying, "Anyone hungry?" Chase and Koda chased after Shelby with Koda yelling, "Finally, food!" Tyler set his pizza down at the table that Riley was sitting at. Tyler saw that Riley was deep in thought and he sat down and said, "What's up?" "I'm good," Riley said. He saw that Tyler was not buying it so he said, "When I was in the duct, I saw Fury. That energy "thing" you and Zac saw trying to get out of him, I saw it too." "You saw it?" Tyler asked. "What do you think it is?" 'I have no idea," Riley said. "But, it looked like Fury was draining its energy to power the Ptera Charger." "Whatever it is," Tyler said. "we have to free it or stop it before Fury can use that energy to destroy us." "We will, Tyler," Riley said. "But we have another matter to deal with first. Everything surrounding Zac." The mention of Zac's name got everyone's attention, even Ms. Morgan and Keeper. "What is this about?" Ms. Morgan asked. "Do you guys have a problem with Zac?" Everyone looked at each other and Tyler spoke up by saying, "There have been some weird things going on with Zac that we noticed. He seemed to figure out that we are Power Rangers quickly though he hid it until he felt necessary, he figured out about the fake Rangers quicker than he should have, my Jeep mysteriously overheated when he was with me with no normal cause, he never wants to be around water when working here, when he got some of Koda's drink spilled on him this morning, he freaked out and ran and locked himself in the storage closet, he did not have any frost on him when we climbed out through the vents, and there was a huge amount of steam coming from where he was trapped." "So you think he is hiding something?" Ms. Morgan asked. "He is," Shelby said. "The reason I stayed behind earlier was to spy on him. I overheard him talking to Keeper about keeping a secret from us, but he doesn't like keeping it from us." Everyone turned to Keeper and Riley said, "You know what he is hiding from us?" Keeper sighed and said, "I sensed that there was something different about Zac when I first met him. But I agreed to keep his secret until he was ready to tell everyone."

"And I think that it's time to say it," Zac said from behind the group as he entered the lab just a minute ago. Everyone turned around to Zac's direction. "I'm sorry that I have been keeping something from you guys. But this secret is a part of me that I did not want to reveal to anyone. But I realized that Keeper is right. We are a team and we can't keep things from each other so that we can work together and beat our enemy. So I can answer all of your questions." "So how did you find out our secret identities?" Shelby asked. Zac looked at her and said, "I saw Chase holding his Energem when Moana visited him and figured that all of you had Energems like I do. Then later that day I saw Chase walking away from the museum with a possessed look in his eyes so I followed him to the warehouse and I saw everything with that monster." "How did we not see you there?" Chase asked. Zac sighed and said, "I was invisible. It's one of my abilities." Everyone was shocked by that. "You have powers other than from Energem?" Koda asked. "Yes, I do." "How did you know about the fake Rangers?" Riley asked. "I sensed that something wasn't right about them and I used some telepathy to listen to their thoughts. They were in garbled talk like the Vivex." "Did you make my Jeep overheat?" Tyler asked. "Yes, sorry about that. I used my powers to heat up the water in your engine so that we would not lead the fake Rangers back to our secret base." "Why weren't you covered in frost like the others today when you escape the maze?" Riley asked. "Same heating powers. Though I really had to use a lot of focus and power because of the frost rising. That is why there was a lot of steam following from the direction I was crawling from through the ducts." "What about your fear of water?" Shelby asked. "You ran and locked yourself in a closet after Koda's drink spilled on you, bro," Chase said. Zac sighed and said, "I actually love water. I love swimming in the ocean back home. I was even a life guard and on the swim team back home. But that changed a year ago. I was camping on an island off of the coast called Mako Island. Late that night, I was walking through the trees when I found a cave open up. Being curious I went in and saw a weird trident design. When I touched it, a hole opened underneath me and I fell into what's called the Moon Pool. Next thing I knew, it was morning and I was lying on the beach on the island. I dismissed it at the time as a weird dream, but then whenever I came into contact with water, I changed into something else." "What do you mean you change into something else?" Ms. Morgan asked. "I think it's better if I show you," Zac looked around and saw some beakers with water in them. He raised his hand to it and lifted some of the water from the beaker. Everyone looked at it with shock and awe. Zac made the water come to him, then he let the water drop onto his hand. He started to count to 10 with everyone getting curious looks on their faces. Then when Zac got to 10, he shifted into his merman form and fell to the floor, since he could not stand upright on his tail. Everyone except Keeper gasped loudly. "Is that what I think that is?" Shelby asked. "Wow," Chase said. "You're a mermaid?" Zac glared at him and said, "The correct term is merman. Mermaids are girls." Ms. Morgan bent down and said, "This is real?" "Yes," Zac answered. "You can touch my tail if you want." Ms. Morgan nodded and ran her hand along Zac's tail. "So when you come into contact with water, you change into a merman? Because you fell into that moon pool?" Tyler asked. "Yes," Zac answered. "So you now not human?" Koda asked. "Actually," Zac said. "I thought that at the time. But I learned that I was actually born a merman. But my mother, a powerful mermaid, used a spell to change me into a full human when I was a baby to protect me from things, I really don't know the full story about that. But that spell was broken when I fell into the moon pool that night. You see, the moon is the source of our powers, which I will warn you guys now that if I want to stay away from moonlight during a full moon, let me. I sometimes can get a little crazy under a full moon. That is when our powers become the strongest and at first, I could not control myself during the full moon. I have better control now, but I never want to chance anything." He turned toward his tail and used his heating powers to dry his tail and get his legs back, to the shock of everyone. "There is more to this story, but I think that this is enough for today," Zac said. Everyone nodded with Tyler saying, "We understand why you kept this from us. But I am glad that you trust us with this." "Thanks, Tyler," Zac said. "I promise that I will tell you guys the full story eventually, but please bear with me on this. It is a big responsibility to keep this secret and if Sledge and his cronies figured out what I am, Sledge will stop at nothing to use me to get the Energems from you guys." "We will protect this," Tyler said. "We are a team. We protect each other." Zac smiled at that. "And now," Chase said. "Let's celebrate our victory today with pizza." Everyone laughed at that comment. Zac looked at everyone with smiles. This would be the start of a great friendship with his team.


	10. Chapter 10: Royal Rangers

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **I should start this by apologizing for the over month long delay. I had a little bit of a writer's block and life came into play. But I am back with a new chapter. Also, thanks to those who have decided to follow this story. It means a lot to me.**

 **Also, found a new favorite in fandoms: Descendants. I know that can be a weird one, especially when I am not part of its normal demographic, but I am a big fan of Disney and I watched both movies and liked them. Sure they are cheesy, but a good kind of cheesy. Plus the songs are so catchy. My next fan fiction may be based on these movies so be on the lookout for that.**

Chapter 10: Royal Rangers

Back in Australia, Mimmi was standing out on a pier, looking at the sunset. She sighed. She missed her brother, Zac, terribly. Because of the connection that had been built between them, being this far apart for this long was taking its toll. Sure, her friends helped ease her loneliness, but she wanted Zac back at her side again. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the ocean. "I thought I would find you here." Mimmi turned around and found Ondina standing behind her. "Hey, Ondina," Mimmi said. Ondina saw the sad look in her eyes and said, "You are thinking about Zac again, huh?" Mimmi nodded, looking down. Ondina sighed and brought Mimmi into a hug. "If you keep worrying about him like this, then I feel that something bad will happen to you. He explained that this was something that he needed to do. He will come back, like he promised." Mimmi pulled away from the hug and dried the tears that started to come down her cheeks. "I know. I just miss him. I just feel weak without him near me. I can't feel him because he is so far away. What if something happens to him. What if something happens to me? What if…" "Mimmi, breathe," Ondina said, interrupting her. "Like I said, you can't worry about this. Zac needs to do whatever he needs to do on his own. This may help him realize that he needs to embrace who he really is. Then he can take the throne with you someday." Mimmi smiled and said, "Thanks, Ondina. What would I do without you?"

Back in Amber Beach, Zac awoke and stretched his limbs. He felt a big smile develop on his face. Ever since he revealed his secret to his teammates, he felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. He looked over at the clock and saw that he overslept, again. "Dang it!" He raced out of bed, threw some clothes on, and ran for the beach so he could swim to the museum.

At the museum, the other Rangers were setting up for the Treasures of Zandar exhibit. "Pretty sweet," Riley said as he set down a sign outside the museum. "The treasures of Zandar." He turned to walk back inside when he saw Zac running toward the museum entrance. Sighing, Riley called out, "Hey, Zac!" Zac stopped and turned to see Riley and a look of embarrassment crept up onto his face. "You're late," Riley said, folding his arms. "Sorry, Riley," Zac said. "I overslept past my alarm again. Just woke up 10 minutes ago." Riley looked shocked and said, "Then how did you get to the museum quickly. I know it's at least a 15 minute drive…Oh. You swam here, didn't you?" Zac nodded. "I can swim up to 120 mph," he said. Riley's eyes widened. "Really?" Riley asked. "Ever since you told us, I have wanted to ask you so many questions. How do your powers work? How many of your kind exist? How much does your tail weigh? How.." "Riley!" Zac said. "Not so loud. Too many people here. And I will answer all of your questions, but I need to get to work, like you do." Riley sighed and he followed Zac inside the museum.

Down in the lab. Ms. Morgan was fast asleep at her work station. Koda and Tyler walked in and saw that she was asleep. Koda walked up to her and said, "Uh, Kendall?" She startled awake and said, "It's Ms. Morgan." "Did you work all night?" Koda asked. She nodded while yawning and said, "Destroying monsters is one thing, but with Fury in charge of the Ptera Zord, you may need a stronger battle mode in your Megazord. Which is why I developed these." She walked over and pulled out two Dino Chargers that were red and had a letter D on them. "They activate Dino Drive Mode." Tyler grabbed one from her hands and said, "Awesome. Fury won't know what hit him." "Let's hope so," Ms. Morgan said. "They haven't been tested but if they work, they'll double your power. But remember, only in the Megazord." "Dino Drive Mode," Koda said. "That's great, Kendall!" He patted Kendall a little too roughly on the back, causing some discomfort from her. Suddenly her communicator went off and she picked it up, seeing Chase on the screen. "The Zandar treasures have arrived," Chase said. "We're on our way up to help unload," Tyler said. "Not me," Ms. Morgan said. "Shelby needs me for something "urgent" in the cafe." "Must be very important," Koda said. Ms. Morgan sighed and walked out of the lab band headed up to the cafe.

Zac walked into the cafe and saw Ms. Morgan holding an iPad walking away from Shelby, who was trying to get her attention. "Come one, Kendall," Shelby said. "I mean, Ms. Morgan. Julian's work is great." She grabbed a boy's arm and followed after Ms. Morgan, to Zac's amusement. "Look at this sketch. It's beautiful!" They stopped right next to Zac and Shelby held out a sketch to Ms. Morgan, who looked at it, with Zac looking at it over her shoulder. "I completely agree," Ms. Morgan said. "Me too," Zac said, startling Ms. Morgan. "Zac!" she said. "You're late." "Sorry, Ms. Morgan," Zac said. "I slept past my alarm. But I got here quickly. By sw.." he was about to saw swimming, but saw that the artist boy was standing with them and could not blow his cover "driving. Yes, driving." Ms. Morgan sighed and said, "Well, I hope you did not speed to get here." She looked back at Shelby. "Julian, your work is terrific! But this is a history museum, not an art gallery. I'm sorry." She handed the drawing back to him and walked away. Julian looked at Shely and said, "Thanks for trying. But maybe it's just not meant to be. You know?" He sadly walked away. Shelby tried calling out to him but Julian ignored her. She sighed and looked at Zac. "You OK?" Zac asked. "No," Shelby said, walking toward the garage and Zac ran after her.

Out at the garage, the other Rangers were unloading the treasures of Zandar when Shelby followed by Zac came out. "So?" Tyler asked. "Does Julian get a show?" "No," Shelby said. "That guy lives and breathes for his art. Just needs a break." She turned back to Zac and said, "And nice job with the recovery by the way." Zac gulped and said, "Thanks." Tyler looked at him and said, "What does she mean by that?" Zac sighed and said, "I was late this morning and I was trying to explain myself to Ms. Morgan, but I almost blurted out how I got here in front of Julian." "How did you get here this morning?" Tyler asked. "I swam up the beach line." Tyler's eyes widened. "You can swim that fast to get here?" "Yes," Zac replied. "Cool," Tyler said.

The other boys were unloading more parts while Chase pulled out a portrait for the stone of Zandar. "Hey," he called to the others. "Look at this." "Wow," Riley said as he walked over. "This exhibit has the stone of Zandar." "What's that?" Zac asked. "Well," Riley said. "If you believe in the legend, it all started when the knight, Sir Ivan, found the stone." "Knights are so awesome," Chase said offhandedly. "So, what happened?" Koda asked. "Well, supposedly," Riley said. "Hundreds of years ago, the young prince of Zandar was being escorted by Sir Ivan. The prince demanded that Sir Ivan fetch him some water." "Ugh! Seriously?" Shelby said. "Just because he's a prince he can't say please?" "Uh," Riley said. "That's not the point of the story. Anyway, while they were stopped to get some water, the knight noticed something shimmering in the creek. He reached out, only to find…" Suddenly, the group heard a loud noise. "Sound like big eagle," Koda said. They heard it again, and ran out to see what it was, but they did not see the box containing the stone of Zandar glowing as they left.

They ran out and looked up at the sky. "That's no eagle," Shelby said. "That's the Ptera Zord," Riley said. The Zord was flying around, blasting away at buildings. "We need some fire power," Chase said. Everyone nodded in agreement. Chase and Koda pulled out their Dino Chargers and summoned their Zords. They tried to attack the Ptera Zord, but it was too quick and suddenly, it transformed into its own Megazord. "Recognize this?" Fury shouted from inside the Ptera Zord. "I have my own Megazord now, Rangers!" "It changed!" Tyler said. "That's the Ptera Charge Megazord," Riley said. " I sure wish it was on our side," Zac said. "Deal with this, Rangers!" Fury shouted as he blasted more buildings. Tyler stepped forward, pulled out his Dino Charger, and yelled, "Dino Charger, ready!" He summoned his T-Rex Zord. "Hey, Rexy! Team up! Dino Charge Megazord, Para-Stego Formation!" The Megazord formed and the Rangers morphed, then jumped into the Megazord. "Man," Tyler said. "I don't like battling our own Zords." His communicator went off and he saw Ms. Morgan on the screen. "Tyler," she said. "We weren't expecting Fury to control a Megazord. It's dangerous, but you have to try our new Dino Drive Mode." "Understood," Tyler said. "We're willing to take the risk." Everyone nodded in agreement. They all yelled out, "Dino Chargers, ready! Dino Drive, activate!" Suddenly, all of the Rangers had metal shields over their suits. "I can feel the charge of strength," Shelby said. "I can definitely feel the boast in power," Zac said. Tyler laughs and said, "Awesome!" "Kendall," Koda said. "You very smart." Kendall sighs and said, "I just hope it gives you the edge you need." "Oh, yeah," Chase said. "Let's go!" They start firing at the Ptera Zord, but it is too strong and Fury starts attacking back. "Pathetic Rangers!" Fury said. "Ptera Sabber Slash!" He hits them full on, but the Rangers block it and attack back with Stego Punch and Para Zord Blast. Fury attacks again, but this time the Rangers couldn't block it and the Megazord takes damage. "He's so strong," Tyler said. "I told you I'll get your Energems someday," Fury said as he started to power up a laser beam. "Today is that day." "Our defenses are down!" Shelby cries. "We can't take another hit!" Riley said. "Wait," Zac said. "I have an idea. Koda, throw your shield." So Koda threw his shield as Fury fired at them with his laser beam. But the Rangers were struggling to hold the beam back. "Cannot hold much longer," Koda said. Suddenly, their communicators went off again with Ms. Morgan on the line. "Sensors indicate that Fury's Megazord is running low on power." "That's our only hope," Tyler said. "We need you now, hotshot!" Chase nodded and attacked Fury with Para Zord Blast. He succeeds and Fury is damaged. "I am almost out of energy!" Fury cries. "I will recharge, then, return to finish you!" He makes the Zord transform back to flight mode and flies away, with the Rangers looking up as he flies away. "Good job guys," Tyler said. "But that cat has more lives. He'll be back."

Later that night at the museum, the Rangers were unboxing pieces of the Zandar exhibit. Koda was trying on a knight's helmet, but the mask part falls onto his face and he starts having a hard time of seeing. Tyler walks around him and said, "Our Dino Chargers last so long. Why would Fury have run out of power?" "Well," Riley said. "The ghost-like being that Fury's getting his energy from could be getting weak." "But," Ms. Morgan said. "Even a small amount of power in the Ptera Charger can still do a lot of damage."

Tyler looked over and saw Zac staring off into the distance, like he was not all there in the moment. Like he was worrying about something. Tyler walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Zac was startled and rubbed his eyes. "Are you ok, Zac?" Tyler asked. Zac nodded and said, "I think so. It's just tonight is a full moon." Everyone stops and looks at Zac with worried looks on their faces. They all remembered when he told them his merman secret about how the moon can have a weird effect on him. Chase spoke up by saying, "You're not going to go crazy on us, are you?" Zac chuckled a little and said, "If I stay inside and don't look at the moon directly, even a reflection of it, I should be fine. However, I have this strange feeling right now," "What kind of feeling," Koda asked. "Like it's trying to draw me out. Normally when I am inside and away from the moonlight, I am fine until I get exposed to it, but tonight is different." "Different how?" Shelby asked. "It feels like it's trying to pull me somewhere," Zac answered. "I am trying to fight it off the best that I can. My Energem is giving me a boost, but for some reason it's not enough. I'm just nervous that I will give in and I will do something that I am going to regret later." The others looked at each other then Tyler asked, "What happens when you give in to the full moon?" "Let's just say I am not myself," Zac answered. "It's almost like I am possessed or something, like Chase was. Whatever the moon wants me to do, I do it, and I make sure that no one gets in my way. Even if I have to hurt them." Zac looks down. "I don't want that to happen. Especially to you guys." Shelby ran up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "We will help you, Zac," she said. "We are a team. We protect each other." She pulled out of the hug and Zac looked up at her. "Thanks, Shelby," Zac said. "You're welcome," she said smiling. "Is there anything we can do to help you fight it?" "Well," Zac said. "Let's just keep focusing on the issue at hand. That might help distract me long enough."

Everyone nodded and they got back to work on unloading all of the treasures. Shelby pulled out a tiara and said, "Look at this tiara. It's worth a small fortune. Do you know how many people that could feed? But some selfish princess keeps it in a box. Just in case she wants to wear it to the grand ball. What a waste." Zac laughed. "Why is that funny to you?" Shelby asked. "Sorry," Zac said. "It's just that you remind me of Mimmi, that's all." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "What?" Zac asked. "Who's Mimmi?" "My sister," Zac said. "You have a sister?" Chase said. "Is she hot?" Shelby smacked the back of his head. "Chase!" Shelby said. "Inappropriate." "It's ok." Zac said. "Why do I remind you of your sister?" Shelby asked. "Story for another time," Zac answered.

"Bottom line," Chase said. "Got to get that Ptera Charger back." The group, minus Ms. Morgan, went to pick up the box that held the Stone of Zandar. As they were picking up the box, it started to glow, much to the shock of the Rangers. "What in the world?" Tyler said. Everyone looked down and saw that their Energems were glowing. Zac felt a boost in the Energems power and felt that sensation he mentioned earlier go away completely. "What going on?" Koda said. "No idea," Zac said. "But whatever that was, it gave my Energem a boost. That sensation I felt earlier is gone." "What?" everyone shouted. They all look back at the box that glowed earlier. "But it looks like it stopped," Tyler said. "Let's try lifting it again," Shelby said. Everyone goes back to pick it up, but the top of the box exploded, causing everyone to jump back as the contents of the box glowed brightly. "Everyone ok?" Riley asked. Everyone nodded and stepped toward the box to see why it was glowing. They look in and are shocked to see the Gold Energem in the case where the Stone of Zandar sits. "The Stone of Zandar is…" Shelby started. "The Gold Energem," Riley finished saying for Shelby. "We need to get this to the lab," Ms. Morgan said, grabbing the case very carefully. Everyone started to walk toward the lab, but Zac suddenly stopped. "Um, guys," Zac said, causing everyone to look back at him. "Full moon, remember?" "Oh, right," Tyler said. "Maybe we could get Keeper to teleport you down there," Ms. Morgan said. "Ok," Zac said. "I'll wait here." Everyone else walks out to the lab as Zac waits uneasily. Not even a minute later, Keeper magically appears next to Zac, startling him. "I hear you needed some help getting down to the lab," Keeper said. "Full moon troubles?" "Yes," Zac said. "I just don't want to chance walking out to the lab and getting exposed to the full moon. I don't want to hurt my friends." "I see," Keeper said. "Well, shall we?" And the pair teleport down to the Ranger base.

They arrived and saw that Ms. Morgan was putting the Gold Energem into her equipment, probably to check if it was the real deal. The readings were finished and Ms. Morgan said, "This is amazing. It's authentic." "Welcome back, my old friend," Keeper said. "The Gold Energem is bonded to the spirit of the Pterodactyl." "How did it end up in the treasures of Zandar?" Chase asked. "Zandar's in Europe," Shelby said. "Lots of Pterodactyl fossils have been found their. Like with Zac and his Energem ring found near where many Ankylosaurus fossils were found." "If Fury were to get a hold of this," Ms. Morgan said. "He would have unlimited power of the Ptera Zord." "Then we hide it," Koda said. "Or," Tyler said. "We could tell Fury exactly where it is." Everyone looked at him with curious looks on their faces. "I think I already have a plan," Tyler said. "Since this is one of the treasures of Zandar, we can pretend to be Zandar royalty and show off the stone to the public, lowering Sledge and his goons into a trap." "That sounds great, Tyler," Shelby said. They both gave each other a look and blushed, causing everyone to smirk since they knew that those two had feelings for each other. Except Koda since he had no idea about romance.

Everyone gathered around to discuss the plan, but Zac pulled Keeper aside. "What seems to be the problem, Zac?" Keeper asked. "Well, as you know," Zac started. "My power comes from the moon and tonight is a full moon and I tend to avoid the full moon because I can be drawn into its influence and do stuff that I don't like or want to do. Usually I am fine when I stay out of its light or reflection, but tonight for some reason even though I have been doing that, I can feel its presence like it wants me to come under its influence and I don't know why." Keeper thought for a moment before saying, "It seems that the next big phase of your power's evolution and your heritage is drawing near and the moon must want you to embrace that. This only happens to menfolk of royal descent so that they can embrace and grow their power to rule over their kind." Keeper looked at Zac who had a worried look on his face. Keeper realized instantly and said, "The Energem was not the only reason you came here, was it?" Zac was shocked and said, "No, but how did you know?" "I am the guardians of the Energems, I can feel energy levels, and yours has been increasing, but not by the Energem alone." Zac sighed and said, "I only found out recently. My birth mother was rescued from being cursed and she wants me and my twin sister to return with her to her home and take the throne since my father is of royal descent. But that means I have to give up my life that I was raised in. Give up my friends, my family, everything. I don't want to do that just because I am a secret royal prince." "I understand your concerns about this," Keeper said. "But you can't run away from your problems forever. You need to embrace them, even if it's a tough decision." Zac sighed and said, "I understand. But I can't think about that know. This situation comes first. The Energem chose me and that is my mission right now." Keeper nodded then said, "You also should tell the others." "I know," Zac said. "But soon. Not now. I also wanted to ask about the Energems. Earlier when we found the gold Energem, all of our Energems started to glow and I felt the moon's influence leave me immediately and I haven't felt it return." Keeper thought for a moment before saying, "That must be because of a power surge since another Energem has been located. That power surge must have strengthened your Energem and now it's blocking the moon's power since it senses that is what you want. The Energems can give anyone what they desire and that is your current desire. But do not count on this being permanent , just a temporary fix, for I suspect that the influence will be back the next full moon. Just be glad that this will help you focus on the issue at hand." They both nodded as the group walked over to them.

"If you two are done with your own conversation," Chase said. "We need to start executing the plan." "Care to enlighten me about this plan?" Zac asked. Tyler sighed and said, "One of us will disguise as Zandar royalty and display the stone to the public. Then when Sledge and his goons come to steal it, we attack and get the Dino Charger they stole back. "Ok," Zac said. "Who is going to be the fake royal?" Everyone looked at him. "Me?" Zac shouted. "No, no ,no, no. I am not pretending to be some stuck up prince who prances around everywhere showing off how awesome he is." "Whoa, Zac," Chase said. "Calm down. It was just a suggestion. Geez, what's your problem with royals?" Zac gulped and said, "No reason. I just don't want to do it." "Ok," Riley said. "Then who do you suggest?" "Well," Zac said, "Since Tyler thought of the plan, he should do it. Shelby can join him as his princess." "What?" Shelby said. "It would look better that way," Zac said. "You could be wearing the stone as a necklace, Tyler can escort you, and you two would present it that way." "That's not a bad idea," Ms. Morgan said. Tyler and Shelby looked at each other, then said together, "We'll do it."

Up at Sledge's ship, Wrench was connecting the Dino Charger to some equipment to recharge it. "The Ptera Charger is connected." Fury was laying down in a chair with wires connected to him and he shouted, "Start charging it, you tin can!" Wrench turned the machine on, causing Fury to scream in pain. "Soon," Fury said. "I'll have the power to destroy the Rangers!" But the Dino Charger was not charging, angering Fury and he said, "Why isn't it charging?" "That thing inside you," Wrench said, "It's blocking the energy transfer." The machine suddenly turned off, powering down and Fury screamed in outrage. "Enough!" he shouted. "Wrench, give me the Ptera Charger!" "But," Wrench said. "It's not even half full!" "Hopefully, it's enough," Fury said. "I'll defeat the Rangers without your help, you worthless wind-up toy!" And he walked out of the lab with the Charger.

Elsewhere, Poisandra was watching TV. "Come on, everyone!" she said. "It's the latest Glitz World episode." Fury walked in and said, "What's going on here? You're watching that gossip TV show again! Get back to work! All of you!" The Vivix around Poisandra ran away and Poisandra turned around and said, "Oh, you fur ball, wait till Sledge hears about this!" And she walked out huffing. The TV was still on and Fury heard, "The Stone of Zandar exhibit has its grand opening tomorrow. It's rumored the Zandarian prince will be making a rare public appearance with his new bride. And she will bee wearing the stone itself!" "What?" Fury shouted as a picture of the stone showed on the screen. "A princess has the Gold Energem?" He then laughs manically.

Back at the lab, the Rangers were watching the same announcement on their TV. "Yes," Koda said. "Our fake story make it to TV." "Yeah," Riley said. "Good job, Kendall. Let's just hope Poisandra catches it." "I heard her say to Curio that she never misses an episode," Chase said when then turned off the TV. They hear Shelby yell, "This is the worst!" "And now for phase two of the plan," Zac said as he and the others say Shelby walk in wearing a princess outfit. All of the boys were stunned. "Wow," Chase said. "You look.." "Like cotton candy," Koda said, since she was wearing a pick puffy dress. Zac rolled his eyes at that statement. Shelby was huffing loudly and said, "I can barely breathe. And my feet feel like they're getting chomped on by alligators. No way. I'm not doing it. I refuse to pretend to be a whiny, spoiled princess! Thanks, Zac!" "What?" Zac said. "I thought you would _love_ to do this. What girl wouldn't want to play princess?" "Well, wouldn't you want to play prince?" Shelby rebuttaled back. Zac shut up, looked down and mumbled, "Valid point there." Chase, Riley, and Koda looked at Zac weirdly before Chase looked back at Shelby and said, "Sounds like you don't have to pretend," which caused Shelby to throw one of her shoes at him. "But, Shelby," Koda said. "You have to. "Yeah," Riley said. "How else are we going to lure Fury close enough to get the Ptera Charger back? Besides, the fake story already went out and the public are expecting a princess with the prince." Shelby huffed and Ms. Morgan sighed, grabbing the shoe thrown at Chase out of Chase's hand, walked over to Shelby and said, "That's fine. I'll do it." "Thank you," Shelby said as she handed Ms. Morgan the other shoe. Then, the lab doors opened and Tyler walked in wearing a royal prince outfit. Shelby gulped, feeling her heart flutter with admiration. "Awesome, isn't it?" Tyler said as he walked up to the group. Shelby grabbed the shoes out of Ms. Morgan's hands, walked up to Tyler saying, "Maybe I should play the princess. Just so we can get the Ptera Charger back." Everyone gave her a weird look as Keeper walked up to her and said, "You know, Shelby, a princess does not have to be spoilt. A royal position can sometimes allow her to do good deeds. And to help out her nation and its people." He looked at Zac who gulped and walked away, causing Tyler and Shelby to look at Zac. "Ladies and gentlemen," Chase said, interrupting Tyler and Shelby's thoughts. "Presenting Prince and Princess of Zandar." The group applauded as Tyler and Shelby looped arms.

Later outside of the museum, the press were gathered around waiting for the arrival of the "prince and princess". Riley and Zac were disguised as secret service and Chase was disguised as a photographer. Riley put his hand to his earpiece and said, "Anything?" Chase pulled out his communicator and said, "All clear." Koda was up in a tree and said, "No Fury." "Just keep your eyes peeled," Zac said as the limo carrying Tyler and Shelby pulled up. The crowd started to applause as they exited the limo. Photographers started to take pictures as Shelby whispered, "Maybe I should take your arm." Tyler nodded and complied. They heard a photographer yell, "Can we get a kiss?" Shelby quickly gave Tyler a kiss on the check causing both of them to blush and continue walking up to the podium. Shelby looked over and saw Julien drawing. She saw this as a moment to help him and ran toward him. She pulled out one of his drawings and said to the crowd, "This is gorgeous! I must have it for the castle." Tyler understood what she was trying to do, grabbed another drawing and said, "And one for the summer palace." "Excellent idea," Shelby said. "Thank you, sir. Thank you." Shelby and Tyler walked away grinning while reporters started to hound Julien about his work. Julien was flustered but smiling as well at this. "Now, what do we do?" Tyler asked Shelby. "I don't know," Shelby whispered. "Fury should have shown up by now. Make something up." They reached the podium and Tyler turned around to speak to the crowd. "It was 800 years ago when the knight, Sir Ivan saved the prince from an evil, hideous, vile beast."

Suddenly, Fury jumped threw the banner behind them and yelled, "Surprise! Give me the Energem!" He swung his sword at Shelby and her necklace containing the Energem fell to the ground. Tyler picked Shelby up bridal style as Fury picked up the Energem and said, "With the Zord and now this Energem, you Rangers are finished! Summon Ptera Zord!" The Ptera Zord screeched and flew through the sky. "Finally," Fury said. "Endless Gold Energem power!" Fury jumped and landed inside the Ptera Zord. "I'm invincible!" he yelled. The crowd ran away as the Rangers ran up and looked up. "Does he have it?" Riley asked. "He has the Energem," Tyler said. "Now to power the Megazord!" Fury shouted. He inserted the Energem into its system.

Down below, Ms. Morgan called the Rangers and said, "The program will activate in three, two, one.." Up with Fury, the systems were sparking and he said, "The Energem is a fake! They fooled me!" Suddenly, the cockpit exploded and Fury was blown out, falling to the ground below. "Fury is down," Ms. Morgan said. "I'm sending you his position. Rangers, you have to get that Ptera Charger." "We're on it," Tyler responded.

Henchmen of Sledge were running up to Fury and shouted "Master Fury, what did the Rangers do to you?" "Hands off, spike ball!" Fury shouted. "We have company." He saw the Rangers ran up and get into position. He smirked and said, "Looking for this?" and held up the Ptera Charger. "Your little charade nearly paid off. But now, you'll pay the price!" "Trust me, I'm already paying it," Shelby said. "This heels are killing me. We got to morph." Zac snickered at that comment, he was sure glad that he never had to wear heels like girls did. Tyler and Chase ripped their fake facial hair off, causing Tyler and Chase to wince in pain. "We did look good, eh?" Chase asked. Tyler nodded as Zac rolled his eyes and said, "Guy, focus." They nodded and morphed. They powered up their Dino Steel and charged at Fury and his henchmen. They fought off all of the Vivix and went after the blue henchmen with Tyler, Chase, and Koda teaming off to defeat one while Riley, Shelby, and Zac defeated the other. Then Tyler and Zac went off to fight Fury with Chase lending Tyler his weapon and Shelby lending Zac hers. "This is it, Fury!" Zac shouted. "Para Chopper Blast!" Tyler shouted as he fired at Fury. Fury grunted in pain as he said, "You'll never get the Ptera Charger! It's mine to control!" "Don't count on it!" Zac screamed as he and Tyler started fighting Fury. Tyler combined his weapons to form the T-Rex Chopper while Zac combined his to form the Tricera Hammer. Fury attacked with his thunder attack while Tyler fired and Zac charged in spinning. The Rangers' attacks blasted Fury back. Zac ran up and held Fury down with his Tricera Hammer as Tyler ran up and yelled, "Give me the Ptera Charger or I'll destroy you! You've got no choice, Fury!" Fury looked at the Charger, then back at Tyler and Zac. He slowly started to hand Tyler the Charger when the energy from inside him started to come out. "Oh, no!" Fury shouted. "It's happening again." Zac was blasted back by the energy and Tyler backed away and demorphed. The other Rangers ran up and Koda yelled, "Do it, Tyler. Destroy him." Shelby ran over to help Zac up and shouted, "Tyler, what are you waiting for?" Tyler just stared at the energy and said, "It is possible? Dad?" Zac looked at Tyler curiously and thought, "What does he mean by that?" Fury stood up and shouted, "You will not escape me!" and forced the energy back into himself. "Nice try, Rangers." He shouted at his henchmen to get him to the ship and they disappeared. Tyler looked up at the sky with a worried look on his face.

Back at the museum, the gang were working at the cafe, minus Tyler. "No sign of Tyler," Koda said. "Yeah," Riley said. "It's not like him to be a no-show." "Maybe it has something to do with maybe seeing his dad," Zac said. "Which makes me ask, what does that mean?" Riley walked over and said, "Tyler's dad disappeared ten years ago during an expedition. Based on the journal he left Tyler, there was a drawing of Fury in it and Tyler must suspect that the weird energy could be his dad." "huh," Zac said. "And I thought I had parent issues." He saw the group look at him weird and he replied, "I'll tell you later." They got back to work as Julien came in on the phone saying, "London? They want to see my art in London? Yeah, ok. Just hold on a minute." He walked over to Shelby and said, "Shelby, I had to come tell you. Ever since the princess saw my sketches, I'm going to New York next week for my first show. And now, London." Shelby gasped and said, "That is so great, Julien. You totally deserve it." Julien smiled and said, "You always believed in me. Thanks. You're a great friend." Julien walked out of the cafe with his phone. "Keeper was right," Shelby said. "Being a princess is more than just wearing a tiara." She walked out with everyone except Zac following her. "If only that was the same for me," he whispered, remembering that the same comment was directed toward him. He chuckled and followed everyone out of the cafe.

Down at the base, Tyler was looking at a picture of him and his dad when he was little. Ms. Morgan entered the lab and said, "Tyler, I've been looking for you. From what I can tell, you had the chance to destroy Fury and retrieve the Ptera Charger, but you didn't. Why? What happened out there?" The others entered behind her and came up the them. Tyler didn't speak. Zac sighed and said, "It's ok. I wouldn't have destroyed Fury either. Not today." He put his hand on Tyler's shoulder for comfort. "Me either," everyone else said. "You made the right choice, mate," Chase said. "It was the only choice, Tyler," Shelby said. "Until you know for sure." Ms. Morgan looked at the group and asked, "Know what for sure?" Tyler finally spoke up and said, "That spirit, the one inside Fury, I think, ten years ago, he captured my dad. He's trying to escape. That's why I didn't destroy Fury." Keeper came up from behind them and said, "You followed your heart, my friend. That is never a mistake. Until whoever is inside of Fury is free, you cannot destroy him." Tyler nodded and looked back at the picture. Keeper looked at Zac and motioned him to follow him. He and Zac walked to a side cave while the others watched them walk away. "Another personal conversation that we can't be a part of," Chase said. "Chase, leave them be," Shelby said. "Whatever they are talking about Zac will share with us in time. It took him time to share his big secret with us, so we need to respect that." "Maybe it's the continuation from last night," Riley said. "Zac seemed out of focus due to the full moon, but seemed fine after our Energems glowed. Maybe he wants to ask Keeper about it." "Or maybe it about parent issues and being same as Shelby," Koda said. "What do you mean by that?" Ms. Morgan asked. "Earlier at the cafe," Riley said. "We told Zac about what happened to Tyler's dad and he said that he thought he had parents issues, but I didn't hear him say anything about agreeing with what Shelby said." They all looked at Koda who said, "He mumble saying "if only that were same for me". Sorry caveman have good hearing." "Maybe that could be why he wants to talk to Keeper alone," Chase suggested. "I remember when Keeper was talking to me," Shelby said. During that comment, he looked directly at Zac and he gulped, like Keeper knew something else about Zac that we don't. But like I said, I am sure Zac will tell us when he is ready." Everyone nodded.

"So, I have been thinking about this," Keeper said to Zac. "And I feel that the Energem, although it giving you your desire to suppress the moon's influence worked once, I believe that it won't help you forever. Your merman heritage will become too strong for the Energem's power to block off forever." Zac sighed and said, "So I have to give in to being royalty, huh?" "Yes," Keeper said. "Like I said to Shelby, being royalty is not about just wearing a crown. It's about doing good deeds and helping out a nation. I feel that yours needs that help from you and your sister." Zac looked at Fury and said, "I understand. I just am not ready for that big responsibility. And to give up my life for a nation that I know nothing about." "Then maybe I can help you with that," Keeper said. "I have studied many different nations throughout my millions of years on Earth. Think of it as a history lesson." "Oh, great," Zac groaned. "More schoolwork." He and Keeper laughed as Zac thought "But maybe this might help me realize who I am meant to be…"


	11. Chapter 11: Break Out

Dino Charge- Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Before you start reading this chapter, I must first humbly apologize. It has been five months since I last updated this story. No excuse in the world can make up for that so I am so sorry.**

 **Life took over for a while and I hit a writer's block for this story during that time. But recently, I got that figured out and I am starting to post chapters for the story again. I am not giving up on it. I am just asking that you all be patient with me with the updates. Thanks and enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Break Out

Back in Australia, Mimmi was staring out at the ocean with a sad look on her face. Even though Ordina's words comforted her, she still missed the connection between her and Zac. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Please, Zac," she thought. "Come home soon. I miss you so much. Where did you go?" "Where did who go?" a voice said behind her. Mimmi turned around and saw her mother, Nerissa. Mimmi gulped. She remembered her promise to Zac to not tell their mother that he left the Gold Coast. "Ah," she stuttered. "Ordina. She left somewhere this morning and I have looked everywhere and I am just worried about her." Nerissa sighed and said, "I know that is not the truth. This is about Zac isn't it?" Mimmi got a shocked look on her face and asked, "How did you know?" "You are both my children," Nerissa replied. "I have a connection with you both, though not as strong as the one between the two of you. Plus, I have noticed that he has not been around lately. Do you know where he went?" Mimmi shook her head. "Well, can't you just mentally contact him?" Nerissa asked. "We all need to take very soon. I feel the pod back home is getting nervous about not having someone on the throne to help bring back the peace of the seas." Mimmi shook her head again and said, "I can't feel him, Mother. Our bond relies on us being close together for it to work." "For now, that is true," Nerissa replied. "But your bond will strengthen very soon and you will be able to feel each other even if you are miles apart." Mimmi got a smile on her face and asked, "Really?" "Yes," Nerissa replied. "That growth in power is prove that it is soon time to return home and claim both of your birthrights. Wherever Zac is, he will sense this too and do what is necessary for his people. When you find out where he is, let me know and we can bring him home." Mimmi looked at her mother shocked. It sounded like she was determined to bring her and Zac back home no matter what and that scared her, mainly for Zac because she knew that Zac was very hesitant to leave his human life behind. She decided to play along for now and said, "Yes, Mother" hiding her doubts mentally from her mother. Nerissa smiled and said, "That's my daughter. You will make a great queen one day." She turned and walked away, disappearing behind the rocks. Mimmi sighed. She was at a crossroads. She wanted to help her mother bring peace to the seas, but she also wanted to help Zac protect his rights too. She looked out at the ocean again, closing her eyes. "What should I do, Zac?" she thought.

Meanwhile, at Amber Beach, Zac bolted upright in bed, sweating. Somehow, he saw the entire conservation that Mimmi and his mother just had through his dreams. "This must be my powers increasing like Keeper said," he thought. "Nerissa won't give up easily, it seems. I need more time to think about this." He sighed and thought "I miss you too, Mimmi." He got out of bed and got ready to head to the museum. He needed to talk to Keeper about what he saw and to continue their lessons about the history of merfolk in order to help him understand what he might have to decide about if he should go back with his mother and sister or not. He walked out of his apartment and drove to the museum.

Up in space on Sledge's ship, he was watching the previous Megazord battle where he saw that Fury flew away from the battle. "Fury!" he shouted. "You Megazord ran our of power again!" Fury was standing next to him and he said, "I can solve that problem." "You'd better," Sledge replied. "If the Pterazord can't transform into a Megazord, it's worthless to me, and so are you." Fury walked away and said, "I'll get to work." Sledge sighed and said, "Good help is so hard to find."

At the Amber Beach Museum, the Rangers were standing next to an audience who was listening to a speech given by Ms. Morgan about the Stone of Zandar. "The Stone of Zandar was discovered 800 years ago," she said. "When a young prince was being escorted boy the king's knight, Sir Ivan of Zandar. While they were stopped for a drink, Sir Ivan discovered the gemstone in the creek. The monster's blow knocked the gem from his hand, and the prince tumbled away. What happened next, no one knows. After saving the prince, Sir Ivan and the monster mysteriously disappeared. The prince found the gemstone and named it after his country, the Stone of Zandar. It has been the most famous piece in the Candor's Royal Treasure ever since. Thank you all very much. Please enjoy the exhibit." Everyone applauded.

Outside, Koda, who was sitting in a tree eating an apple, saw a limo pull up to the museum. He saw several men in black suits with silver briefcases get out along with a young man in a light grey suit and they walked into the museum. "Who is that?" Koda wondered. He jumped down and ran inside. The audience were walking around the Zandar exhibit as the Rangers stood and watched. "I'll be glad when this exhibit is over," Chase said. "So we can lock up the Stone of Zandar safe and sound in the base." Suddenly, the young man with the men in black suits walked in, startling everyone. "Collect the treasures," the young man commanded to his men. "What's going on?" Tyler asked when the men started putting all of the treasures in their briefcases. "Excuse me," Kendall said to the young man. "I'm the Museum Director. Just what do you think you're doing?" "I'm taking what belongs to me," the young man replied. "Hey, whoa, whoa," Riley said. "No, that's impossible because theses belong to the royal family." But suddenly he looked the young man up and down and realized who he was and said, "Oh." "Starting to get the picture, are we?" the young man replied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Phillip III of Zandar, the real prince." Zac took one look at the prince and internally rolled his eyes. "Great," he thought. "Just a stuck up arrogant prince. Another point in favor for me not wanting to be one." Phillip continued, "Unlike the imposters that have been masquerading around here." He held up a magazine that had Tyler and Shelby's picture on it from the trap they laid out for Fury. "Wait a moment," Phillip said looking at the picture, then Tyler and Shelby. "This is you two, isn't it?" Tyler and Shelby just looked around awkwardly. "It's a wonder anyone mistook you for a prince." Koda came up behind him and said, "We mean no disrespect." Phillip look annoyed and said, "And what would you know about respect? Look at you, filthy, shoeless. Were you born in a cave?" "No," Koda replied. "Born on mammoth hunt. Mother could not make it home to cave." He offered the apple he was eating and asked, "Want some?" Phillip gave a disgusted look and then walked over to the Stone of Zandar and said, "A knight's bravery is what makes this stone a legend. How dare you touch it! None of you are worthy!" "And you are?" asked Zac, shocking the Rangers and Phillip. "Sure the Stone was found in your country and it is part of your Royal Treasure, but what makes you worthy of touching it yourself? That Stone was lent out to this museum so that it could be looked at by everyone, not just some stuck up arrogant prince like yourself." Phillip walked over to him and said, "Oh really? And what makes you think that all of you have more worth than me?" Zac looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Because we think of others before ourselves. Tyler may not be a real prince, but he thinks of others before himself. And Koda may look filthy, but he puts his life on the line so that others don't get hurt. If either one of these two were my prince, I would respect them over you any day." Phillip glared at him and said, "And what of you? What makes you so special that you can talk to me like this?" Zac smirked and said, "If I had the choice of being either a stuck up prince or a kindly pauper, I would choose the later, because at least I know what is important, unlike you." Phillip scowled and said, "Well, I see someone needs a lesson or two about treating royalty. But since I got what I came for, I bid you ado, pauper." He smirked then walked away from the group out to his limo.

The group look at each other, then they ran outside after him, just to see him driving off. "There they go," Shelby said. "We can't just let them take the Energem, can we?" "That stone is legally part of the Zandar Royal Treasure," Kendall replied. "SInce he is the prince, he can do whatever he wants with it." "Of course he can," Zac said annoyed. Kendall turned to him and said, "And you talking to a prince like that doesn't help the situation either. Even if we try to ask for it back, you could have just screwed that up. Maybe he was right about you needing to learn how to treat royals." "I still stand by what I said," Zac replied. "You all saw how he acted with everyone, Tyler and Koda in particular. He thinks that just because he is a prince, he can get wanter he wants. He does not understand the responsibilities and true respect that comes with that title. A true prince would be more humble and respectful to others, especially his subjects. He would put himself on the line and sacrifice his life for the lives of others. That is his real duty to the throne, not going around and taking what he thinks is his." The group looked at Zac shocked. Zac shook his head and said, "Keeper's lessons are getting to me too much." "What lessons?" Shelby asked. Zac looked up and gulped, realizing that the other did not know that he was taking merfolk lessons from Keeper so he could learn about his heritage and make the hard decision of accepting his royal destiny.

Suddenly, they saw Vivix going after the limo. "This isn't good," Tyler said. Zac looked at the others and said, "I can answer that question later. Right now, we have a prince to rescue."

The Vivix were firing at the limo and it pulled off to the side of the road. The men in black got out to protect the prince and saw Fury, Poisandra, Wrench, and many Vivix walk toward them. "Look!" Poisandra said. "They're all dressed up." "Dressed for their own funerals," Fury said. "Attack!" The monsters charged toward the men. The bodyguards were no match and were easily overrun. Phillip got out of the limo and tried to get away but Fury blocked him. "What are you?" he asked Fury. Fury ignored the question and put his hand on Phillip's jacket and said, "Give me the Energem." "Energem?" Phillip asked. "I don't know…" "Don't play stupid with me!" Fury roared. "Hand it over." Phillip fished in his pocket and pulled it out. "Yes," Fury said. "Stop!" Koda shouted. He and Zac jumped over the limo, tackling Fury, then they both got in attack positions, protecting the prince. "You two?" Phillip asked. Zac looked back at him and said, "Don't look so surprised, Your Royal Smugness." He and Koda leaped into battle and started battling Fury. "Hang on, guys," Tyler shouted as he, Shelby, Riley, and Chase ran to catch up with them. Poisandra saw this and ordered the Vivix to attack them. Soon a big battle erupted with Tyler, Shelby, Riley, and Chase fighting off all of the Vivix, and Koda and Zac continuing to fight off Fury, with Phillip stuck in the middle. Fury threw both of the boys toward Phillip and said, "Nothing is going to stop me getting that Energem." "Koda stop you," Koda relpied. "And me too," Zac said. "Not a chance!" Fury replied as he charged up his sword. Zac looked around and saw the metal part of a tire near them and ran to get it. Fury charged his lighting attack at them as Zac blocked it with the metal, but the blast sent him, Koda, and Phillip flying down into the ditch off the side of the road. Fury laughed and said, "You're not escaping this time." Zac and Koda stood up and picked up the prince. "Come," Koda said. "Fury after you." They both wrapped Phillip's arms around them and hoisting him him, then walked into the woods to get away from Fury.

They walked for a while, until they saw that Phillip was getting tired and they put him next to a tree. "You safe here," Koda said. Zac meanwhile looked at the prince's leg, seeing a long cut near the ankle. Sighing, he looked up and said, "It looks like to cut your leg during that fall down the hill." Phillip looked at him and said, "Well, that is no thanks to you. It was you who caused us to roll down that hill in the first place." Zac looked at him with anger and said, "Well, excuse me prince, but it was either that or Fury blasting you to kingdom come. At least I did what was right. I did what a true prince would have done for someone else." Phillip looked at him shocked. Zac sighed and said, "Sorry. I did not mean to get you injured. And I apologize for my tone back at the museum. But I still stand behind what I said. And my actions just now. But I also take responsibility for what I did. I accidentally got you hurt, so I will fix it." Phillip looked at him puzzled. How could he fix up his leg? Zac reached both of his hands and hovered them over the prince's wound. He closed his eyes and started humming a tune (I don't believe this is a natural ability from the show, so this part might be AU. Also I imagine Zac humming the Healing Song from Tangled since I like that song.) Suddenly, Zac's hands started to glow and that travelled down to the cut on Phillip's leg. Soon, Zac stopped humming and opened his eyes. He removed his hands and the cut was completely healed, with no scar. Phillip looked down at his leg, then back up at Zac. "How did you do that?" he asked. Zac sighed and said, "Long story," He tried to stand up, but toppled back down. Koda saw this and ran to his aide. "Zac!" he said. "You OK?" Zac nodded and said, "Yeah. That ability just takes more out of me than my other ones do, I guess. Not a lot of practice.

Phillip looked shocked at the two, mainly for their actions to help him. "I'm at a loss for words," he told them. "After how I treated you, the insults, why would you risk your life for me?" Koda decided to answer that by saying, "Everyone has good on inside. Even mean prince like you." Phillip sighed and said, "I suppose I deserve that." Zac bent down as well and said, "Just because you are a prince does not mean that you can be arrogant and controlling of everything. If you find the good that is inside of you like Koda said, then you can do great things for your country, not just yourself." Phillip looked up at Zac and asked, "You relate to that, don't you somehow?"

Before Zac could make a comment, they heard Fury growl in the distance. They looked around and saw a giant boulder rolling toward them. "Move!" Koda shouted. Koda and Zac pushed Phillip out of the way and took the boulder head on, knocking them backwards. Phillip rolled to the side, with the Energy flying out of his pocket. He tried to pick it back up, but Fury got to it first. "Finally," Fury said. "After 800 years, the gold Energem is mine!" Phillip looked up at him and asked, "800 years? So you're the monster that attacked Prince Colin 800 years ago?" "Yes," Fury answered. "That prince survived, but you'll be destroyed!" Before he could deal the final blow, he was interrupted by gun fire from the other Rangers, who finally caught up. "This Energem is coming with me," Fury said. Chase and Riley ran up and helped Phillip to his feet. "Don't worry. We got you," Riley said. Tyler and Shelby ran over to Zac and Koda and helped them to their feet. "You guys OK?" Tyler asked. "Fury got Energem," Koda replied. "We need to go after him," Zac said. "You all right, mate?" Chase asked Phillip. "I'm a fool," Phillip said. "But I'm fine." Tyler pulled out his communicator and told Kendall, "Fury has the gold Energem." Kendall replied by saying, "And he just summoned the Ptera Zord. IF he installs the Energem into the Zord, he will have infinite energy." "We need to stop him first," Zac replied. "Tyler," Kendall said, "I've been developing a new Dino Charger that might finally give you and your Word the edge you need against the Ptera Zord." "I'm on it," Tyler replied. "You guys follow Fury. I'll catch up with you later." He ran off and Zac told Phillip, "Go back to where your limo is, it will be safe there now." He and the others ran off after Fury, with Phillip standing there.

Meanwhile, Poisandra and the Vivix were looking in the breifcases that they took off of Phillip's men. They could not find it. "And you will not," Fury said coming up from behind. "And why not?" Poisandra asked. "Because I've already got it," Fury replied, holding up the Energem as proof. Poisandra laughed and said, "It's about time, furball. Now, let's get it to Sledge, so I can start planning my wedding.

Suddenly, they saw the Rangers run up to them to get the Energem back. "Cancel the invitations," Shelby said. Unknown to them, Phillip ran after them and hid behind a rock above them. "It's Morphin Time!" Koda and Zac shouted. Everyone then morphed into the Power Rangers. Phillip looked down at them shocked and said, "They're Power Rangers." Fury laughed and said, "The tide has turned, Rangers. Prepare to suffer my wrath! Ptera Zord!" He summoned the Ptera Zord into the skies above them. It attacked the Rangers with lightning. "Shocking, isn't it?" Fury asked. "You can't outrun the Ptera Zord forever." The rangers looked up at the sky and Koda said, "Wait, look."

Suddenly, fire attacked the Ptera Zord and it flew out of the way. They looked around and saw Tyler standing on top of his T-rex Zord, who was the one delivering the fire blast. "It's Tyler, alright." Zac said. "Hey, guys," Tyler said, jumping down from his Zord. "But the Ptera Zord is going to come back," Shelby said. "Don't worry," Tyler said. "Kendall's new Dino Charger should solve that." He held up the new Charger for the Rangers to see. "Dino Charger, ready." He threw it into the T-Rex Zord's mouth, and it's neck stretched out to chomp onto the Ptera Zord. "That new charger makes Rex even stronger," Chase said. "No!" Fury shouted. "They've taken out my Ptera Zord." "Did you really think you could beat us, Fury?" Tyler asked. He and the other Ranges struck their signature poses to intimidate the villains. "Wipe them out!" Fury yelled. The monsters charged the Rangers as they activated their Dino Steel weapons. They charged the monsters and started to battle them using their weapons.

Eventually, Fury knocked back Tyler with his sword. "I have you now." "No chance," Tyler replied. "Let's finish this!" Fury charged up his weapon and fired at Tyler, but Tyler jumped out of the way toward Fury. "Nice try!" he shouted. He smashed his weapon into Fury, sending the monster backwards. "It's over Fury!" Tyler said. "Give me the gold Energem." Fury stood up and shouted, "Never! It's mine!"

Suddenly, the gold energy that was inside Fury started coming out of him again. "No!" Fury shouted. "Not now!" The Rangers took a step back as Shelby said, "What's happening?" But Tyler walked forward and asked, "Could it be? Dad, is that you?" Zac looked between Tyler and the gold energy. "I hope that is his dad," Zac thought. Fury continued to shout "You will not escape!" He screamed, releasing a wave of energy that sent the Rangers flying backwards demorphing them. The gold energy flew to the side, forming into a man. Tyler saw this and ran up to him. He was so excited to think that his dad was free from Fury's prison. But he turned the body around and saw a young man's face, wearing knight's armor. "You're not my dad," Tyler said disappointed as the Rangers looked at the mysterious man in shock. "Who are you?" The young man looked up and said, "I am Sir Ivan, Knight of Zandar." "The Knight of Zandar?" Chase asked. Zac looked at Tyler with a solemn look. He felt bad for Tyler because he knew how much Tyler wanted to find his dad, but he also was relieved that Ivan was freed from Fury's prison. Phillip saw this from above them and said, "Sir Ivan. That's impossible." Ivan looked at the hurt from of Fury and walked over to him. "Finally," he said. "It is my turn to morph." Fury stood up and yelled, "That Energem is mine!" Ivan threw his Energem in the air and a Gold Ptera Morpher formed around his arm, and his Energem fell right into it, powering it up. He suddenly morphed into the Gold Power Ranger in front of everyone's eyes. "Still think this stone is yours?" he asked Fury. Fury sent his Vivix to attack the new Gold Ranger, but he walked through them like they were nothing. He even used special attacks that none of the other Rangers had. Even Zac had to admit that he was impressed. "Well," Zac thought." "At least he can be a big help to us for the future." Ivan continued to walk through the monsters, even Poisandra and Wrench, using his main weapon, the Ptera Sabar.

Suddenly, two of the Vivix got bigger. "We'll call our Megazord." Tyler said. "No," Ivan replied. "This quest is mine." Riley ran up to him and said, "Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Stop. The Ptera Charge Megazord is evil." "Not for long," Ivan replied. He jumped into the Ptera Charger and inserted his saber. Suddenly all of the evil energy was released from it, reverting it back to its original way. "Your evil spell is broken," Ivan shouted. "Let our duel begin." He battled both of the Vivix, using different attacks to fend them off. Finally he vanquished both foes.

He jumped out of the Meagzord demorphed and the other Rangers ran up to him. "Sir Ivan!" Shelby said. "Hi, I'm Shelby. Welcome to our, uh, century." Koda went up to him and said, "You will like it here. I show you burgers." Then they saw Phillip walk up to them, with Ivan stepping out and kneeling in front of him. "Sire," Ivan said. "I am at your service." He held up the Gold Energem and said, "This belongs to the royal family." Phillip took the Energem, then looked at Ivan and said, "Do you know me?" Ivan replied, "I know the royal blood of Zandar when I see it. I've spent my entire life faithfully protecting your family." "So you truly are Sir Ivan, the Knight of Zandar?" Phillip asked. Ivan nodded. Phillip motioned him to stand and said, "And the monster did not destroy you?" "No." Ivan replied. "He captured me for 800 long years. Only when aided by the power of that stone could I finally escape. Shelby stepped forward and said, "It isn't just a stone." Everyone took out their Energems as she continued, "It's an Energem." Riley continued, "They have more power than you could ever imagine." "Millions of years ago," Chase said. "10 Energems were lost. We've only found five so far." "The Stone of Zandar is the sixth," Tyler said. "We want to protect it, like your family always has," Zac said, but he noticed that Ivan was looking at him weirdly. But Ivan turned back to the prince when he said, "The Energem is yours to use as you will." Ivan took the Energem and said, "Trust that I will use it to make the kingdom proud."

They all heard Phillip's limo pull up. Phillip walked up to Zac and Koda and said, "I am humbled by your bravery and courage. Thank you." He stared to walk away, but turned around and said, "Ah, may you discover the remaining four Energems safely." He walked off to the limo as Shelby turned to Ivan and said, "Welcome to the team," but saw Ivan walking away. "Where are you going?" Riley asked. "Where?" Ivan replied. "I have been captured for 800 years. It matters not what path I take, so long as it is a path that I have chosen." He then turned to Zac, and knelt to him like he did Phillip, much to the shock of the others, especially Zac. "And may you be well, Your Highness," standing up and walking away. The other Rangers looked at Zac and yelled, "Your Highness?!" Zac looked at them sheepishly and said, "I think it's time to finish the rest of my story, huh?"

Elsewhere, before Fury got back to Sledge'e ship, he growled angrily. "How could the Gold Energem and that stupid knight escape from me?" He then smirked and said, "At least my other prisoner has not escaped from my grasp." He then held up a gemstone and saw a lone figure inside pounding on it and Fury laughed manically as he returned to Fury's ship.


	12. Chapter 12: Knight After Knights

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

Chapter 12: Knight after Knights

 **I promised I would get the next chapter out as soon as I could. And here it is.**

 **By the way, I did eventually watch the Super Sentai that this season is based on, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, and I personally loved it. It was interesting to see it after watching Power Rangers Dino Charge because you could see what clips the Americans took and adapted so that made telling the difference between the footage easier and seeing the similarities and differences with all of the characters. If you are ever curious to see how the Japanese version of the show is different from the American version, I would personally recommend it. Some seasons are completely different (look at RPM and Engine Sentai Goonger) and some seasons are cut and paste from the Japanese season they are adapting (I'm looking at you Samurai and Samurai Sentai Shinkenger). I know that Super Sentai is not for everyone, but if you were ever curious I would check it out. As Kira said in the Dino Thunder episode "Lost and Found in Translation" where the Rangers were watching a comedically dubbed version of Bakeyuu Sentai Abaranger, the Sentai Dino Thunder adapted, "See, their show was different, but it was still cool."**

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury had landed back on it, but was dragged out by the Vivix to Sledge. "Wait!" he cried. "What? I can explain." Sledge looked down at him and said, "Not only did you lose the Ptera Zord, but now there are six Rangers, with six Energems. Bones!" A monster walked up to him and said, "I've been waiting for my chance." Sledge looked back down at Fury and said, "You shouldn't have failed me." "But, Master…" Fury started to say but Sledge interrupted by saying, "Remove his courage." Bones walked up to Fury with Fury screaming for him to stop, but Bones walked up behind him and said, "Time to lose your backbone." He reached in and removed his courage bone and put it into the jug he carried on his side. Fury suddenly become scared and said, "Please don't hurt me. Please!" "Wow!" Poisandra said walking up to Bones. "You made big, brave Fury into a little scaredy-cat." Fury got up and ran away in fear. Sledge walked over to Bones and said, "Do that to the Rangers, and let's see them crawl away in fear." "With pleasure, Master," Bones replied.

Down at the Amber Beach Museum, all of the Rangers plus Ivan were down in the lab, with Kendall going over things with Ivan. "The transmitter will refine the power of your Gold Energem. So that I can create Dino Chargers." Riley continued where she left off by saying, "Now the Dino Charger will power your morpher or your Gold Ptera Saber." He put one of the chargers into the Ptera Saber to demonstrate, starling Ivan. "Truly magical," he said. Kendall continued by saying, "Now over here are the crystal beds. Bring your Energem Riley and Chase will show you another way we use it.

As Kendall, Ivan, Riley, and Chase walked over to the crystal bed, Zac was leaning up against a wall, waiting for when Kendall was done showing Ivan everything, because he knew that he would have to explain why Ivan called him "Your Highness". He looked over and saw Tyler writing in his dad's journals. He had a strong feeling that Tyler was disappointed that it was not his dad trapped in Fury, and Zac felt pity for him. Tyler wanted to find his dad no matter what and he understood that. He remembered back when he found out that he was adopted and he and Mimmi wanted to find their lost mother, even though that did not turn out exactly what he wanted. Sure he was happy for find her finally, but all of the new stress and pressure he got from her about his hidden royal heritage was not what he wanted to hear from her. He closed his eyes and thought, "I know that I have to make the choice soon. As much as I want to stay here away from all of that, I know that I can't hide from it forever. Plus, I can feel that Mimmi misses me terribly." He looked down at his Energem. He could feel its power making his merman powers stronger everyday, one example of that was that he could start to feel Mimmi from this great distance, but that made him worry if that would backfire where Nerissa could use their connection to track him down and force him home rather than it be his choice. He did not want Mimmi to be hurt in any way.

"You misspelt surprise," Zac was startled out of his thought as he heard Shelby speak to Tyler as he was writing in the journal. Tyler quickly closed the journal and said, "Hey, that's not cool." "Well," Shelby started. "You haven't said much since Ivan arrived." They were both startled by Koda when he grabbed Tyler's journal and chimed in to say, "We know you hoping for your father." Tyler grabbed it back as Shelby said, "But you saw what Ivan can do. He's going to make our team stronger." "Find Energems faster," Koda added. "And then," Zac chimed in to say startling all three. "We're going to find out what happened to your dad." Tyler nodded as his three friends comforted him.

"This is where your Energem rests," Riley said to Ivan over at the crystal bed. "So it can power your Dino Chargers," Chase added. Ivan smiled and said, "Fascinating." He grabbed his Energem from the crystal bed, but it magically pulled itself back to the crystal bed. "Wizard's work."

Everyone chuckled as Kendall turned around and said to Zac, "So what is this I hear about you being a royal?" Everyone except Ivan turned to look at Zac. "Yes," Chase said. "Why would Ivan call you "Your Highness"?" Ivan turned around from the crystal bed and said, "Oh, he has royal blood, clear as I can see it. The noble brow, chiseled face, and the stance and wisdom that any royal shows. I have met many kings in my life so it is not hard to tell the difference between and royal and a commoner." He walked over to Zac and said, "But where you are from I cannot tell. You don't have the look of any nobles near Zander. Maybe an eastern province?" Zac was about to answer when Shelby chimed in and said, "Oh, that's because he's a merman." Zac whipped his head around and glared at Shelby. Shelby said, "What? He was going to find out eventually." But Ivan laughed out loud and said, "Oh, that 'twas a funny jest. But really, where are you from?" Zac was about to say that was true, but then he felt water fall onto his head. He whipped around and saw Koda holding a cup above his head. "Really, Koda?!" Zac shouted, but Koda just smiled. A few seconds later, the transformation happened and Zac fell to the ground because of his tail. Ivan looked at him with wide eyes, amazed by what he just witnessed. "Fascinating," he said. "I have heard many tales of mermaids in my time, but I did not think they were true." He knelt down next to Zac and said, "I apologize, Prince Zac, for not believing your word." Zac sighed and used his powers to dry his tail, making his human self returned. He stood up and said, "It's fine. And please don't call me prince. Just Zac. That is all I want to be." He sighed and turned to the others, waiting for an explanation. Zac looked at them and said, "The part about my story that I chose to keep to myself for the time being was that after I found my long lost mother, she told me that me and my sister Mimmi were the last of a long lost royal bloodline of merfolk, from my father's side. She was hoping that we would both return with her to the forgotten kingdom where the last king ruled before a long centuries old war between mermaids and mermen broke out so that we would both assume the throne and bring peace back between the two groups. But personally I want nothing to do with that!" The group was startled by Zac shouting that last sentence. Chase said, "But mate, why would you give up being a prince? That sounds like an awesome gig." Zac glared at Chase and said, "Because I would have to leave my human life forever!" Chase gulped and backed away, seeing the anger in Zac's eyes. Zac continued, "I grew up as a human. That was all I knew until I went to that island and fell into that moon pool and had my merman self awakened!" As Zac was ranting, the lab started to shake and beakers broke into hundreds of pieces, sparks flew off the computers, and all of the fluids rose up toward the ceiling. Everyone looked scared and tried to calm Zac down, but he was not listening. "First I thought that I was a freak who could not be a life guard anymore, had to lie to my family, and I had these three mermaids try to hunt me down to eliminate me because they thought that I was a threat. But even when that misunderstanding resolved, two more mermaids started to cause trouble, one of them being my biological sister and just when I find that out, I find out that I was born a merman and was adopted this whole time! Then this water dragon showed up causing trouble and I find out, that was my long lost mother. Then after we freed her from that spell, she tells Mimmi and I that we are long lost royals and that we need to go back with her and she is not really giving me a choice in the matter! It's my life, not hers or anyone else's!" Zac glared at the others who looked at him with fear. Then he looked around noticing the chaos he caused. He closed his eyes and took some deep breathes to calm himself down. The fluids returned to the ground, the computers stopped sparking, and the room stopped shaking.

Zac opened his eyes and said, "I'm sorry that I scared all of you. I did not mean to lose control like that. But this is something that has been weighing on me for a while. That is one of the main reasons why I came here in the first place, other than finding out more about my Energem. Keeper told me that I had to tell you guys at some point, but I did not expect it to be this soon." Ivan walked up to him and said, "Zac, every new royal is scared of their future, how they are going to make it. But like them, you need to find that courage to face that future and make it your own, not what has been predestined for you." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks, Ivan. I will put that to mind."

Ivan went back over to the crystal bed, grabbed his Energem, turned around and said, "Well, 'twas a thoroughly entertaining afternoon. Perhaps we'll see each other soon." He bowed to them, but Riley said, "Wait. Were are you going? You're part of our team now." Ivan looked at him and said, "I've not joined your team. I'm a knight of Zandar. When I pledge my loyalty, it is for life. I'm sorry, I cannot make such a decision so hastily. He turned around and walked away while Shelby said, "Wait, what? Decision? He doesn't have a choice. He is the Gold Ranger." Zac walked up to Shelby and said, "He is right, Shelby. He needs time to think about this decision. Like I do with mine."

Suddenly the alarms blared as the group turned and ran to the computers. Kendall looked at the readings and said, "Alien brio-signs at the boat docks." Tyler looked at the others and said, "Let's go." The others ran out, but first Zac said to Kendall, "Sorry about some of your equipment, Ms. Morgan. I will make it up later." He then ran out with the others.

They morphed and found Poisandra, Bones, and the Vivix at the docks. "Right on cue," Poisandra said. "Time to take their bravery." "Don't get your heart set on it," Tyler said. Poisandra ordered the Vivix to attack. Each of the Rangers broke off and fought some Vivix, each using their own personal skill. Bones tried to go after Tyler but Tyler just jumped over him and ran to attack Poisandra. Bones caught up with him and blocked him off from Poisandra. "Say goodbye to your courage, Red Ranger," Poisandra said. Bones threw Tyler into a patio table. Chase ran up and said, "I got you, Tyler." shooting at Bones. But Bones blocked off the shots and shot a laser at Chase, knocking him back. "Power slash," Riley yelled as he slashed his sword at Bones. But Bones dodged his attacks and said, "I merely need to lift a finger bone to defeat you." and knocked Riley back. "Flying kick!" Shelby cried as she jumped in the air and tried to kick Bones, but Bones caught her foot, threw her at another patio table and said, "The foot bone's connected to the…Oh, now what?" He saw Koda charging at him with his fists, but Bones caught both arms and said, "Give it a rest, Blue Ranger." He threw Koda to the other Rangers and Shelby said, "Koda, are you okay?" Zac jumped over them and yelled, "Ankylo Hammer!" charging at Bones with his weapon. But Bones caught the hammer and threw Zac back to the other Rangers. "Skeletons are so in right now," Poisandra said. "Time to remove your backbones," Bones said as he walked toward the Rangers.

Suddenly, Ivan's sword flew past the Rangers and attacked Bones. Ivan jumped from behind the Rangers and fought off Bones pretty well. He shot at Bones using his morpher, making Chase jealous, he kicked hard at Bones, which impressed Shelby, he attacked with his sword effortlessly, impressing Riley and Zac, and punched Bones hard, impressing Koda. Poisandra growled and said, "You better watch your backs!" and made the villains vanish. Ivan said, "Good riddance." and jumped away from the Rangers, disappearing. Shelby growled and said, "Ivan's got to join us. I'm going to go talk to him." She demorphed and ran in the direction Ivan disappeared to. Zac demorphed as well and said to the other Rangers, "I am going after her. She is not taking Ivan's words to heart and wants to make him decide without his consent." He ran after Shelby, leaving the other Rangers puzzled for they did not know who to side with.

Ivan was walking through part of the city where he noticed everyone around him was chuckling at his appearance, but he didn't care and kept walking, but stopped when he heard Shelby yell, "Wait, Ivan!". He turned around and saw Shelby run up to him and ask, "What's with you? You're a Power Ranger now. There are responsibilities that come with that." Before Ivan could answer, he heard Zac yell, "Shelby, stop!" They both turned around and saw Zac run up to them and say, "Shelby, what are you doing? It's his choice if he wants to join us. Please don't force that onto him." Ivan smiled and said, "Indeed, Zac. It seems you understand my reasoning, but as for this maiden," He turned to Shelby and said, "Indeed, I am a Power Ranger. But I am also a knight. I cannot join your band until they've proven their worth." Shelby looked at him and asked, "Proof? If it wasn't for us, you would still e stuck inside Fury. If that isn't proof, I don't know what is." She sighed and walked away but Ivan stopped her by saying, "Milady, you make a valid point. Perhaps I should reconsider. Lead me to your friends." Shelby smiled while Zac said, "What? Wait, what about making your own choice, not what someone else says, no offense Shelby." Ivan looked at Zac and said, "I still abide by that, but Lady Shelby made the point that you two along with the others freed me, and I should be at least considerate of that. So we should join with the rest of your friends to talk about this to help with my decision. Isn't that how you joined as well, Zac?" Zac started to answer no, but Shelby was getting impatient and dragged both boys to the other Rangers.

Back with the other Rangers, they were walking back toward the base with Chase saying, "Sir Ivan's a little bit too big for his boots." Koda added, "Oh, then we just get new boots, yes?" Riley chuckled and said, "Not exactly. I think Chase is just a little jealous of Ivan's skills." Chase gave Riley a hurt look, but Tyler yelled "Watch out!" But it was too late as each boy was suddenly bound tight and could not break free. Bones came out of hiding, revealing that he was the one who trapped them. "You think some ones could hold us?" Chase yelled. Bones laughed and said, "You're pretty bravo now. Out of my way!" He pushed Tyler to the side and walked behind Chase. "We'll see how tough you are after I take your courage." He reached into Chase's body and pulled out his backbone. "Leave him alone!" Tyler shouted. He laughed and released Chase as he said, "Ah, won't need those anymore." He looked at Chase, who suddenly got scared and said, "Get back! Stay away from me." Bones walked up to him and said, "Come on, Ranger. Show a little backbone. Oh, wait, your can't because I have it. And now, for the three of you."

Meanwhile, Ivan, Shelby, and Chase were walking to meet up with the other Rangers. "You won't be disappointed," Shelby said. "They're as brave as any knight of Zandar." But just around the corner, Bones took the last backbone out of Tyler saying, "Your leader is fearless no more." Ivan, Shelby, and Zac came around the corner and saw Bones, Poisandra, and Curio ganging up on the boys, but Shelby and Zac were confused to see the other Rangers scared out of their minds. "What a pack of lily livered fools." Shelby just groaned and said to the monsters, "What have you done to them?" Zac turned to Ivan and said, "This is not normal." Poisandra spoke up by saying, "It's the Gold Ranger. We can't risk losing again." "You're right," Bones said. "We already have four Rangers. Let's go tell Sledge how well we did." Then the monsters ran away. Ivan sighed and said, "Brave as a knight of Zandar?" He shook his head and walked away with Shelby looking disappointed and started to go after him, but Zac stopped her and said, "Let him go. Let him decide for himself. Once we get the others back to normal, then he will see with his own eyes that we are worthy. Let him make his own choice." Shelby muttered, "Fine. For now anyways," and she and Zac worked to get the others back to the museum.

After struggling, all of the Rangers got back to the base, but Shelby and Zac were having trouble getting them to got down the entrance. Zac finally had enough and used his powers and wind pushed them all down the entrance. Shelby looked at Zac and said, "Why didn't you do that sooner?" She huffed and followed the others, with Zac sighing and following her down.

Shelby walked over to Ms Morgan and asked, "Any sign of Ivan, yet?" much to Zac's irritation. Shelby was not going to let this down, she was not listening to Ivan or Zac about making your own choice. "No," Ms. Morgan replied. "If Sledge's monsters attack now, you have to fight with the boys whether they're ready or not." "I doubt they're going to be much help," Shelby answered. Zac walked up to them and said, "What about me? You and I are still fine. Maybe we can figure out how to beat Bones and get the others' courage back." Suddenly they heard the others scream about a mouse and ran away from it, much to Shelby's irritation.

Suddenly the alarms blared. "This isn't good," Shelby said as she, Zac, and Ms. Morgan ran to the computer. "Bones is back," Ms. Morgan said, "And he's got company." Shelby typed into the computer looking for Ivan't signature. "There's Ivan," she answered. "He's heading straight toward Bones," Zac said. "I have to help him," Shelby said and ran to the exit. "Shelby, wait!" Zac yelled as he ran after her.

Outside, Shelby stopped when she heard Zac. "What is it this time, Zac? Stopping me from doing another stupid thing according to you?" Zac stopped and looked at her aghast and said, "What is your problem?" Shelby glared back and said, "What is yours? Why won't you let me convince Ivan to join us? Don't you want him to be part of this team? And I am sure that I can handle myself." Zac glared down at her and without him knowing it, his eyes flashed blue, startling Shelby out of her anger, and said, "Did you not hear what he said to me, to you? He must decide for himself. Like I decided to join this team, on my own terms. I could have joined you guys as soon as I figured out you were the Power Rangers, but I didn't because I felt it was not the right time. I know that Ivan feels the same way. Sure we need his help against own fight, but we can't make his choice for him. Don't you know what it feels like when someone is putting so much pressure on you to do something, even if you don't want to do it and are afraid to do it?" Shelby nodded and said, "Actually I do. And I hate it. My father wants me to go to business school, but I would rather learn about dinosaurs." "Well," Zac replied. "Aren't you acting just like him then with Ivan?" Shelby gasped but realized that Zac was right. She was acting no better than her own father. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Zac. I did not mean to be forceful with Ivan." Zac sighed and walked up to Shelby and said, "We both may be afraid of the future, but we both need to find that courage to make our own future, whether it's what our parents want or not. Wow I am starting to sound more like Keeper, aren't I?" Shelby giggled and play punched Zac in the arm. She stood straight up and said, "We can finish this later. Right now, we need to go help Ivan. Show him that we have courage even if the others don't right now." Zac nodded and they both ran to where Bones had showed up.

Ivan had gathered together a group of citizens that he felt could help him in his fight against evil, this included a referee, a tuba player, an old lady in a scooter, a crosswalk officer, and a street magician. They slowly walked up to Bones, Poisandra, and Curio. "Well," Poisandra said. "What do we have here? You've got to babe joking." The group stopped as Ivan shouted, "Prepare to incur the wrath of the Knights of Amber Beach." Bones ordered the Vivix to attack them which caused everyone, minus Ivan, to run away in terror. "Where's your loyalty?" Ivan shouted at the retreating figures. "A worthy band is indeed hard to find." He then charged the Vivix.

Back at the lab, Kendall was trying to push the boys out the door to go help the others, but to no avail. Keeper could see that Kendall was having trouble and stepped out of the shadows. "Come guys, please!" Kendall demanded. "But there are monsters out there," Riley countered. Keeper walked up to them and said, "Shelby, Zac, and Ivan need your help." The boys looked at each other and Koda said, "But, Keeper, we're too scared." Keeper looked at all of them and said, "Bones took only a symbol of your bravery but not your bravery itself. Is there any battle you would not fight to save your friends?" "Of course not," Tyler answered. "Then you see," Keeper said. "Everyone has fears, but true courage is finding the strength to fight, even when you're afraid. Look at Zac. He was afraid of exposing his secret to all of you, but he still went out to fight with you to protect all of you. He knew the risks and fears, but found the courage to fight alongside you. Like he is now finding the courage to accept his heritage and make some big sacrifices in his life. Shelby knew the risk of going to fight with Ivan just now, but she knew that she needed to help him and Zac. And Ivan did not let his imprisonment shake his courage to fight as well." Chase started to stand up and said, "Shelby, Zac, and Ivan…" "Against that monster.." Riley continued. "They counting on us." Koda finished. Tyler stood up and said, "We can't, we won't let them down." Suddenly glowing objects flew into the room and split into four pieces and went into each boy's body, restoring their lost courage.

Meanwhile, Ivan was fighting the Vivix alone and was doing fine for a while, but then got overwhelmed and was held down by them. "Unhand me, you beast," he demanded. Bones laughed and said, "Even the bravest of Rangers can't beast me alone. Time for you to lose your backbone." Ae he was walking toward Ivan, suddenly everyone heard Shelby and Zac yell, "Think again." Both Rangers were morphed and riding to the battle on their motorcycles, taking out a few Vivix along the way. Bones ordered the Vivix to go after them both, but many of them were taken out by blaster shots and both of them jumping of their motorcycles and having the motorcycles take out some Vivix. They both ran and started to battle Bones, with Shelby saying, "Back off, Bonehead." "Pick on someone else for a change," Zac added. Ivan stared at them in admiration and said, "Milady, Your Highness. Alone, and yet, such courage." Poisandra came up and shouted, "Get rid of those pink and aqua nuisances." Bones punched both Rangers hard causing both of them to demorph. They rolled on the ground hard with Ivan shouting, "Shelby! Zac!" Bones shouted, "I'll deal with those two later. For now, your spine is mine."

As he walked back toward Ivan, Tyler shouted, "Not so fast," as he and the other Rangers charged in and kicked Bones out of the way and Tyler finished with, "You forgot about us, you brag of bones." as he and the others fought off the Vivix and freed Ivan. "But that's impossible!" Bones shouted. "I took your backbones. Huh? They're gone. You've regained your bravery." Poisandra and Curio started to shake with fear as Poisandra said, "We've lost ours. Run, Curio!" Riley helped Zac and Shelby up and everyone regrouped with Ivan saying, "Thank you, Rangers. Perhaps I shouldn't have doubted your courage." Chase smirked and said, "No worries, mate." Ivan looked back at Bones and said, "And now 'tis morphing time." Everyone shouted, "Dino Charger, ready! Energize! Unleash the power!" and they all morphed into Power Rangers. "Dinosaur might, ready to fight."

Then both sides charged and fought off each other. Ivan went after Bones and started slashing him with his sword using lightning attacks. "Awesome!" Zac said. Shelby said, "So, it looks like you found your knights." "Indeed Lady Shelby, Prince Zac. Try these." He handed both of them one of his Dino Chargers. Zac and Shelby loaded the Ptera Chargers into their Dino Morphers and the three of them did a triple Ptera Lightning attack, blasting Bones.

Sledge fired the Magnabeam and made Bones grow to gigantic size. Ivan summoned his Ptera Zord and created the Ptera Charge Megazord. Ivan activated his Dino Drive and jumped into the Megazord cockpit. Tyler, Koda, and Shelby summoned their Zords and created their Megazord with the other Rangers activating their Dino Drive modes and jumping into the cockpit. Each Megazord delivered multiple hits to Bones. They both delivered the final blow with Ivan using his ultimate lightning attack and the others using the Stego Slash, destroying Bones for good.

Back at the museum, the Rangers were sitting in the cafe with Ivan telling his story. "So I was riding with the young prince. It as a day like so many before, and a day like none that would follow. When the prince became thirsty, we stopped boy a creek. And there it was, glistening in the water, the Gold Energem. Suddenly, the monster attacked us. I was able to keep the monster from harming the young prince. but when he blasted us, the Energem was knocked free, and the powerful beast revealed himself to be Fury. I was certain he would destroy me. But instead, the Energem sent a bolt of power up Fury's sword and across mine, bonding me with the spirit of the Pteradactyl. Fury was howling with rage and unleashed his power to seal me away. I struggled, I struggled mightily, but Fury was too strong. And he dragged me into his dark and evil body. The Energem feel into the creek, where I thought it was lost forever. But, luckily, it was found by…" Suddenly a waiter interrupted Ivan's story by bringing a burger to him with Ivan asking, "Oh, what is that?" "Bronto Burger," Koda answered. Ivan picked up the burger and followed Koda's movements of how to eat it and took a bite. He moaned because of how good the burger tasted and Koda asked, "You want to get fries?" Ivan nodded and he and Koda got up to get some, but Shelby shouted, "Wait!" "How does it end?" Tyler asked. Ivan smirked and said, "Oh you know, 800 years of darkness, then you saved me and here I am." Everyone made a sound of disappointment at the fast conclusion to the story that they were getting so invested in, but Ivan turned around and said, "And as I said, a knight's loyalty is forever. I am honored to be part of your team. And to you, Zac, I am honored to be in your noble presence for this quest." "Ah, thanks?" Zac said. Ivan and Koda ran off to grab some fries as the others laughed. Zac sighed and thought, "Well, I at least I learned something from all of this. Ivan is right. I need to find the courage to face my future. Because I know that what I will face whatever I choose will be frightening." He closed his eyes and thought of Mimmi and thought, "Mimmi, let's find that together. Be brave, sis. I hope we can see each other soon."

All the way back at the Gold Coast, Mimmi was started from her slumber at the moon pool as she felt Zac's words in her head. She smiled and thought, "I will Zac. I hope to see you soon, too."


	13. Chapter 13: Sync or Swim

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **I should start off by apologizing for the fact that this chapter took a long time to be done. I want to thank those who were patient with me on this. My life has been busy this past month. But I tried to work on this chapter when I could.**

 **I also want to thank those who favorited this story between chapters. It really means a lot.**

Chapter 13: Sync or Swim

Up on Sledge's ship, Wedge was working on a device that looked like a bomb. "Sledge is going to be so pleased with me. Now for the final step…" He put a glowing component into the bomb and locked it tight. Suddenly Poisandra walked in and Wedge said, "Oh, it's you. Careful." Sledge came in behind her with a new monster and asked, "Is the explosive ready?" "Yes, sir," Wedge answered. Poisandra leaned in to look at the bomb and Wedge yelled, "Don't touch that. One wrong move could blow a hole in the ship." "That would mess up my manicure," Poisandra said. "Take Smokescreen with you," Sledge said pointing to the new monster in the room. "And hide it so it destroys the Rangers." "I could do this myself," Wedge replied. "Nonsense," Smokescreen said. "I can out some fog so no one can see us. Putting me in charge is the right choice, Master Sledge." Smokescreen released some gas, causing Wedge and Poisandra to cough in disgust. "He did not put you and your stinky fog inn charge," Wedge said. "Overgrown wind-up toy," Smokescreen replied. "You think you can…" "Enough!" Sledge roared. "Bring me an Energem and you'll be free. But fail me and.." He slowly walked up to Smokescreen to intimidate him and Smokescreen said, "Ah! Say no more." Wedge tapped Smokescreen on the shoulder and said, "Come on, but I'll carry this." He and Smokescreen walked out with the bomb with Sledge saying, "Goodbye, Rangers."

Down at the museum, the Rangers were getting ready for a kids event at a nearby park. Riley was walking with Kendall grabbing different equipment from her. "Now," Kendall said, "Remember, each kid gets a sifter, a safari hat, and a shovel, and, oh, let's see…" RIley stopped her and said, "Hey, hey, hey. Deep breaths. It's all taken care of. The event's gonna be great, Ms. Morgan." Kendall sighed and said, "I know, I'm a little stressed out, but kids look forward to the museum's Fossil Funday all year. Now, let's go over everything again." She rushed away with Riley sighing and walking after her.

Outside the museum, the other Rangers were loading the truck with all of the equipment. "Koda," Chase said, "Can you hand me that rope? Thanks, mate." Tyler loaded the last box and said, "That is everything." "Almost ready to go," Koda said. Tyler and Shelby loaded some minor things into Tyler's Jeep and as Shelby started to walk away, Tyler stopped her by saying, "Shelby, wait, wait. Look, I got that coat we saw in the store window." He pulled out a coat and put it on. "What do you think?", twirling around for effect. Shelby said, "It's…fine." Tyler looked at her puzzled and said, "Fine? But you said it looked great." Shelby sighed and said, "It did…on the mannequin." She turned and walked away and Zac walked up behind him and said, "Ah, trying to impress Shelby I see. I think you might be going about this in the wrong way, Tyler." Tyler turned to Zac and said, "What do you mean? Shelby said she liked this coat and I bought it to show that I like what she likes." Zac sighed and said, "Surprises like this can work, but not showing off how great you look. It makes you look too macho." Tyler scoffed at him, but before he could reply, a kid walked up to them and said, "Your truck is really cool," Tyler buffed up, with Zac muttering, "Oh great," and said, "Thanks. At least someone around her has good taste. Has a five-ton winch, V-8 engine, and…" He did not get to finish the sound of a horse neighing was heard and everyone turned around to see a man on a horse in knight's armor ride up to the crowd. "Ivan?" Koda asked. The horse reared up and thinned to the crowd. "He's like something out of a romance novel," Shelby sighed with Zac again muttering, "Oh great". The knight lifted the face mask to reveal Ivan, who smirked to everyone. Tyler sighed and said, "You have got to be kidding me." "Mate," Chase said, "He's literally a knight in shining armor." Ivan pulled out a sword and said, "I come prepared for battle." Shelby sighed, Tyler scoffed, and Zac chuckled to himself while the crowd pulled out their phones to take pictures of Ivan, with Ivan smirking and giving the peace sign to the cameras.

Meanwhile, hiding in a bush nearby were Wedge and Smokescreen. "There is the Red Ranger's car," Wedge said. "Go plant the bomb." "First," Smokescreen said, "Let me fart out some fog." Wedge hit him on the head saying, "No! They'll see us, you nitwit. I'll tell you when to fart." "Hey," Smokescreen replied. "I'm in charge. I'll fart when I want to. Now, go put this in Red Ranger's car." "Me?" Wedge asked. "You go." "Come on," Smokescreen said. "We don't have all day." "Ok, ok," Wedge said. "Better I do it myself anyway. That idiot would only stink up the operation. This will blow up the Rangers and everything in sight." He hid the bomb underneath some blankets in Tyler's Jeep and rain back into the bushes.

Back with the crowd, Zac suddenly felt was off. "This is weird," Zac thought. "Why do I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?" He looked around but saw no present danger. Then as his eyes passed by Tyler's Jeep, the sensation grew stronger, with Zac closing his eyes in pain. "What is this?" he thought. "Is this my powers getting stronger like Keeper said they would? And why it is telling me that there is danger in Tyler's Jeep?" He looked around some more and the sensation grew again when he looked at the bushes where Wedge and Smokescreen were hiding. He narrowed his eyes and saw the two monsters hiding in the bushes. His eyes widened and shook his head. His eyesight returned to normal and noticed that the bush was several feet away, farther away than normal eyesight would see what he saw. "Advanced eyesight," Zac thought. "That's a new one. But what are those two up to? I probably should warn the others."

He was then startled by Kendall shouting, "Good grief!" and he turned around to see Kendall talking to Ivan. "Nothing to see here, folks. The museum entrance is right over there. Thank you." She directed all of the saddened crowd into the museum even with Ivan saying, "Good day, peasants. Have fun." behind her. Kendall walked up to Shelby and said, "I think we need to get some clothes for Ivan that are a tad less medieval." Shelby walked up to Ivan and said, "I can take you shopping." Ivan smiled and said, "T'would e a pleasure, my lady." He held out his hand to Shelby who squealed and took it, much to Tyler's irritation. Zac walked up to tell the group what he saw but then Ivan said, "A brisk gallop through the woods is now in order. Ah, Prince Zac. Would His Highness join us to the shopping?" Zac stuttered and said, "B—b-but wait there…" "Isn't any room for you, Highness?" Ivan asked thinking that was what Zac was trying to say, with Zac sighing in frustration as he wanted to tell the group about the danger he felt and seeing the monsters in the bush, but then Ivan whistled and another horse galloped up next to Ivan and Zac and Ivan grabbed him and put him up on the other horse. "Dude, you're just going to the mall," Tyler remarked, looking irritated. Ivan smirked and said, "Why don't you take the others in your motorized buggie, and we'll meet you at the park?" He put his face mask down and galloped away with Zac looking for help from the others and his horse galloped away before he could say anything, much to the rest of the group's amusement, except for Tyler who look scoffed at the idea of Shelby going anywhere with Ivan. "My buggie?" Tyler said in disgust.

Tyler walked over and got in his Jeep, with Wrench and Smokscreen watching from the bushes. "He's getting in the car," Smokescreen said. "It's just a matter of time and then boom!" "But will that Aqua Ranger warn them?" Wrench asked. "What do you mean?" Smokescreen asked back. "He was looking right at us," Wrench replied. "He must have somehow seen us planting the bomb. He was about to tell the others before the Gold Ranger took him away. "He saw nothing," Smokescreen said. "You were just imagining it. Just relax and wait for the bomb to destroy the Rangers." "How long did you set the timer for?" Wrench asked. "You were suppose to set the time," Smokescreen shouted. "Me?" Wrench asked. "You said you were in charge." They saw Tyler drive away. "We have to set that bomb or Sledge will destroy us. Come on." He and Smokescreen ran after the Rangers.

The Fossil Fun Day was in full swing at the park. Tyler was greeting some kids, "Hello, how are you doing today? Here's a hat for you, and here's one for you." Chase and Riley were in charge of food, cooking hot dogs. Ms. Morgan was working with some kids over in the sand pit. "Hey, hey, hey," she said to one girl. "That is a hat, not a bucket." The girl just stick her tongue at her in response. Koda was carrying some dinosaur bones in with two girls helping him. Thanks to his caveman strength he was carrying them with ease while the two girls were struggling with one. Tyler was continuing to hand out hats and shovels when Ivan, Shelby, and Zac returned from the mall, with Ivan wearing the same jacket that Tyler was wearing. Koda looked at him and said, "Ivan, you look fancy." "I know," Ivan said. "It's very nice." "After two hours worth of shopping," Zac muttered. Chase and Riley walked over with Chase saying," Yeah, looking suave, my man." Ivan pointed to Shelby and said, "It was my lady who chose my new wardrobe. With some assistance from His Highness." Zac shook his head and said, "No, no, I am not taking credit for clothes. Evie will never let me forget this." Tyler walked around the group and said, "Hey, isn't that my jacket?" Shelby looked at Ivan and said, "Yeah. Doesn't it look great?" Tyler scoffed while Ivan said, "I humbly admit, I do wear it well." Tyler saw an old woman approach and smirked, wanting to get back at Ivan. "Oh, Ivan?" Tyler asked. "Could you help this kind lady?" Ivan smiled and said, "T'would y my honor." He took the woman's hand but saw the mud. "Careful," Tyler said. "She'll ruin her shoes in the mud." "Not while a knight of Zandar stands at her side," Ivan replied. He took off his jacket and placed it in the mud to cover it. "Such a gentleman," the old woman replied. Ivan took her hand to guide her across and said, "Chivalry is not dead, my lady." Tyler took advantage of the opportunity and said, "Hurry on in, folks. Step right up. Keep moving. Courtesy of the Knight of Zandar, this way." Ivan looked discouraged at the scene but smiled to Tyler and said, "Well played, Sir Tyler. Well played, indeed." Both men walked away with the rest of the Rangers watching helplessly, with Zac thinking, "Tyler, jealousy does not look good on you."

Meanwhile, Wrench and Smokescreen had arrived at the park. "I can't believe you didn't set the timer," Wrench complained. "Okay. There's the Red Ranger's car. Now we need your disgusting fog." "And you thought you could do this alone," Smokescreen said. "Good thing I ate beans." He then released his fog, causing people at the park to complain in disgust at the odor. Zac looked around and thought, "This is not ordinary fog. It must be that monster who was with Wrench." The Rangers gathered together and Shelby said, "This fog is red." "Anyone see where it's coming from?" Zac used his new enhanced eyesight to look around and saw Wrench and Smokescreen at Tyler's Jeep. "There!" Zac shouted. "In the parking lot. Wrench is with another monster." "Check it out," Ms. Morgan said. The Rangers ran out to the parking lot.

Wrench and Smokescreen got to Tyler's Jeep and uncovered the bomb. "Hey," Smokescreen yelled. "Don't touch that. I'm in charge, remember?" Wrench scoffed and said, "Be my guest, but if you mess it up, it's kablooey!" Smokescreen realized that he did not know how to set the timer carefully and said, "Like I said, hurry up and set the timer." Wrench set the timer for ten minutes, covered the bomb back up, and said, "It's ready, let's go." They started to walk away when Zac shouted, "There they are!" The two monsters turned around to see the Rangers running toward them. "Halt, scoundrels," Ivan said. Smokescreen released more fog, blinding the Rangers, except Zac thanks to his enhanced eyesight. He, Tyler, and Ivan ran after the monsters, but Tyler and Ivan became too blinded by the fog and started punching and kicking the air, thinking the monsters were nearby. Ivan accidentally kicked Zac, sending him into a nearby puddle. Zac felt the water hit his skin and muttered, "Oh great." Ivan and Tyler continued to fight the air when Ivan grabbed what he thought was one of the monsters, but it was really Tyler. "It's me," Tyler said. "Get off." Both men got up and Tyler saw that Ivan ripped off one of the sleeves of his jacket. "Great," Tyler said. "You've ruined my jacket." Ivan smiled and said, "Well, actually, it suits you rather well now." Shelby cleared her throat and said, "While you two were messing around, you didn't happen to see where the monsters went, did you? Or Zac for that matter? "I'm over here," Zac shouted at the group. Everyone looked to the ground and saw Zac laying in a puddle in his merman form. Ivan rushed over and kneeled in front of Zac and said, "My most humble apologies, Prince Zac. I did not mean to kick you into this puddle." Zac sighed and said, "It's ok, Ivan. I know that you did not mean to." He used his powers to dry himself off and stood up and said, "And to answer Shelby's first question, yes, I saw the monsters run into the woods in that direction." The group stared at him with Riley asking, "How could you see where they were going in this thick fog?" Zac sighed and said, "New power I guess. My eyesight must have enhanced. It started earlier when Ivan came to the museum. I sensed that something was off, I looked around, and I saw Wrench and that monster over in the bushes. I tried to warn you guys, but Tyler and Ivan's squabbles kicked off and I got dragged to the mall before I could say anything." Tyler and Ivan looked at each other, then down at their feet. Zac looked around again and saw Wrench and Smokescreen in the woods. "There they are. Let's go." Zac led the charge with Shelby, Koda, and Riley behind him, and Chase in the back saying to Tyler and Ivan, "Whatever happened to teamwork?" and running after the group. Tyler and Ivan looked at each other, then both men running after the group, with Tyler saying, "I got this." and Ivan replying "No, I do!"

Meanwhile, Wrench and Smokescreen were running back to their ship. "Get to the ship before that bomb blows up half the city," Wrench said. They reached the pod with Wrench saying, "It's my pod." "No time to argue," Smokescreen replied. "We'll both go in it." They both started to walk to get in the pod, but Wrench shoved Smokescreen aside and said, "Well, I'll just get in first." Wrench got into the pod and took off. "Hey," Smokescreen said. "What do you think you're doing? You forgot about me! Oh, being a leader is so lonely."

He then looked up and saw the Rangers standing there. Tyler started to walk up to talk to him, but Ivan got in the way and said, "Halt, alien toad wart. Running from us will not be your salvation." "Whatever that means," Tyler said. Tyler started to shout, "It's morphin time!" but Ivan interrupted him by saying, "Put a little bit of pizazz in it, Sir Tyler. Let me show you how it's done." Zac and the others shook their heads while Shelby answered her communication device and saw that Ms. Morgan was contacting her. "Did you find anything?" she asked. "Everything's under control, Ms. Morgan," Shelby answered. Smokescreen was starting to get impatient and shouted, "Morph already!" The Rangers shouted, "Dino Charger, ready!" Then they all seven morphed and stood tall ready to fight Smokescreen. "This what you wanted?" Tyler asked. "One against seven?" Smokescreen asked. "Power Rangers charge!" Tyler shouted. They all did their roll call, ending with shouting "Power Rangers, Dino Charge!" "Vivix, attack!" Smokescreen shouted and Vivix ran to fight the Rangers. "They're about to encounter the fury of the Gold Ranger," Ivan said. "Yeah," Tyler said. "But only after things get wild with the Red Ranger." Zac rolled his eyes under his helmet because he was starting to get sick and tired of this silly competition that Tyler and Ivan are having with each other and everyone charged at the Vivix.

"I shall destroy thee, Smokescreen!" Iva shouted as the Rangers charged. "Not if I destroy him first!" Tyler shouted. The Rangers minus Ivan activated their Dino Steel to summon their weapons. Chase went shooting away with his Parachopper gun, Koda was locking gunfire with his Stegoshield, RIley went on attacking Vivix with his Raptor Claw, Shelby went on attacking with her Triceradrill, and Zac was attacking Vivix with his Ankylo Hammer. Tyler was fighting Smokescreen with his T-rex Smasher. "I'm more than just fog, see?" Smokescreen said as he pinned Tyler down with Tyler shouting, "A little help?" Ivan was attacking Vivix with his Ptera Saber. "Rust in pieces," Ivan shouted. He saw Tyler pinned to the ground by Smokescreen and shouted, "What's this? Don't fret. A true warrior has arrived." He attacked Smokescreen and Tyler was freed from his grasp. Tyler got up and said, "I'll show you a true warrior." They both attacked Smokescreen who shouted, "Let's see what you've got, Rangers." Both groups went on attacking each other and Ivan said to Tyler, "Careful, Tyler. You might get hurt." He rolled over Tyler's back, irritating Tyler, and both men kicked Smokescreen away. Tyler then fell to the ground still recovering from when Smokescreen pinned him down with Ivan shouting, "Sir Tyler!" Tyler sighed and said, "Look, Ivan, I can't compete with the shining armor and the horse. But we have to work together." Ivan stood up and said, "It's true. I am the whole package, but you, sir, are the Red Ranger. How can I compare to that?" "Thanks," Tyler said. Ivan looked at Smokescreen and said, "Let's dispose of this stinking scalawag together." He helped Tyler up off the ground. "Awesome," Tyler said as he was helped up off the ground. "Let's do it."

Smokescreen got off the ground and said, "You've had smoke. Here's fire!" He fired at the boys, who dodged the attack and jumped into the air with Tyler shouting, "All right, Ivan. Let's take him!" They both punched Smokescreen, sending the monster to the hillside shouting, "It's all going downhill!" The other Rangers joined the boys with Tyler saying, "Let's finish him as a team." Zac looked at Tyler and Ivan and said, "Glad to see that you two got your heads screwed back on right." Then they all went in attacking Smokescreen, causing him to fall to the ground weak and he said, "I've got to get them back to that bomb inn the car. Then they'll blow up with everything else in the park." "A bomb?" Tyler asked. "Oops," Smokescreen said, not realizing that he said that out loud. "Who said bomb? I didn't say bomb." "That's what I sensed in Tyler's car," Zac said. "And why I saw Smokescreen and Wrench there. They must have hidden the bomb there." "Let's help get him out of the city, permanently," Tyler said. "I'm with you, Red Ranger," Ivan said. All of the Rangers used their final strike attack and destroyed Smokescreen, with him shouting, "I feel a bit foggy!" before he blew up. "That was awesome!" Tyler shouted. "Quite so," Ivan said. "We have to stop that bomb now," Shelby said.

Back at the park, Ms. Morgan was running around trying to keep the children in check, but she did not hear her communicator go off with Shelby trying to reach her saying, " Ms. Morgan? Ms. Morgan, are you there?"

Up at Sledge's ship, Sledge was angry about the defeat of another of his monsters. He grumbled and said, "I'm done fooling around with you, Rangers." He activated his Magna beam and revived Smokescreen. The Rangers looked up at the monster with Tyler saying, "Look!" "We have to get bigger," Koda said. "I'll pilot the Megazord and handle Smokescreen," Tyler said to the others. "The rest of you, diffuse that bomb." Tyler, Koda, and Shelby summoned their Zords and had them combine into the Dino Charge Megazord. Tyler hopped into the Megazord and activated his Dino Drive, engaging into battle mode. "Time for some Stego power," Tyler shouted. "Go diffuse that bomb." The other Rangers ran off to diffuse the bomb, but Ivan stopped and said, "Hm, I have an idea."

Smokescreen came up to the Megazord and said, "Enjoy the stench?" He realized his fog with Tyler saying, "Ugh, that stinking fog is pretty thick." "Let's see how tough you are when smoke gets in your eyes," Smokescreen said. "Serpent transformation." He then transformed and attacked Tyler. "It's not my eyes I'm worried about," Tyler said. "It's my nose." Smokescreen attacked more and more, saying, "You're lost in the fog, Red Ranger." He knocked Tyler to the ground and said, "Now, to destroy you." Tyler struggled to stand, but looked up and said, "Is that the Pterazord?" Indeed, the Pterazord was flying through the air with Ivan onboard saying, "Sir Tyler, just as we must work together, so must our Megazords." "Sounds like a plan," Tyler said. Both boys activated the Tri-Stego-Ptera formation and formed a new Megazord. Ivann joined Tyler in the cockpit, with Tyler saying, "Nice to have you riding at my side, Ivan." Ivan smirked and said, "I believe it is time to slay this dragon."

Back at the park, Ms. Morgan was still trying to keep the children in check. She was trying to split up two boys who were using their shovels as swords, but to no avail. As she was trying to diffuse the situation, the other Rangers ran up to Tyler's Jeep. Zac used his new power to sense danger to find the bomb and said, "Here it is!" "There's less than two minutes left," Riley said. "Let's move it away from these people," Shelby said. Riley was then carefully lifting the bomb from the Jeep.

Up at Sledge's ship, Sledge saw what the Rangers were trying to do. "Rangers!" Sledge shouted. Wrench was next to him and said, "What? Master, grow the bomb so that they can't move it." "Hit it with the magna beam, now!" Sledge shouted at a Vivix, when then activated the beam.

Down with the Rangers, they were still trying to move the bomb, when the beam came down and the Rangers jumped out of the way and the bomb grow to a massive size. "We have to evacuate, now!" Chase shouted.

Back with Tyler and Ivan, they were flying around attacking Smokescreen. "Your fighting stinks as bad as you smell," Tyler said. "Time to stomp this." They then stomped down on Smokescreen, nailing him to the ground. They then flew off him and readied their Stego Saber. They unleashed their final strike and destroyed Smokescreen, with Tyler shouting, "Monster extinct!"

Back at the park, the Rangers were evacuating the park. With everyone out, Chase contacted Tyler saying, "Tyler, we've got less than a minute on the clock, and a bomb that's too big to move." "I have an idea," Ivan said. "Me too," Tyler said. "I bet it's the same one. Guys, we're on our way." "What could they be planning?" Chase asked. He got his answer as the Rangers saw the Megazord fly up and take the bomb into the sky. "Where are they going?" Koda asked. "They're taking the bomb to a place where it will blow up but be out of harm's way," Zac answered. Up with Tyler and Ivan, Ivan said, "Shall we offer it back to the fiend who sent it?" "Perfect," Tyler replied. The Megazord flew toward Sledge's ship. Sledge saw what they were doing and tried to fire his lasers at them, but the Megazord kept dodging them. Then they threw the bomb at the ship and Sledge fired his lasers at the bomb, destroying it just before it hit the ship. Tyler scoffed and said, "We almost got them," "But we saved the city," Ivan said. "Nice work, Red Ranger." "Nice work, Gold Ranger," Tyler replied. "We're more successful together," Ivan said.

Back at the museum, the Rangers were hanging out at the cafe when Tyler walked in with a bag. "Tyler," Koda said. "What did you buy?" "Oh, nothing," Tyler said putting the bag down. Chase peaked into the bag and said, "Oo, a gift." Tyler grabbed the bag and put it on the floor and Shelby asked, "Really? Who is it for?" "No one," Tyler said. Ivan came to the table with food in his hands and said, "A tuna-dactyl melt on rye, toasted to perfection just as you desire." Chase rubbed his hands together and started to say, "Sweet, thank you. I've…" But Ivan put the plate in front of Tyler with Tyler saying, "Oh, what a nice surprise." Ivan bowed to Tyler and then handed another plate to Zac saying, "Another tuna-dactyl melt one rye for His Highness." Zac took the plate and said, "Thank you, Ivan. You did not have to do that." Ivan smirked and said, "I am here to please you, Prince Zac." He then put down four plates of grilled cheese and said, "And grilled cheese for the rest of you." The Rangers scoffed with Chase saying, "Why does Tyler and Zac get the good stuff but we don't?" Ivan smirked and said, "I wanted to show our leader my thanks and appreciation after my blunder today. As for Prince Zac, as I said, I am here to please him, as what a knight does for a prince." Zac sighed and thought, "Well, I guess I am going to have to get use to this, I'm afraid." Tyler reached for the bag he brought in and said, "I too have a surprise." Shelby stood up thinking it was for her and said, "I love surprises." Tyler put the gift in Ivan's hands instead. Ivan opened the gift and saw a new jacket to replace the damaged one. "Oh, my cup runneth over," Ivan said. Tyler smiled and said, "You really did look good in it, so I figured I'd replace it." Ivan put on his jacket and said, "Come, let us take one of those self-portraits together." He then turned to Zac and said, "Along with the prince." Zac smiled and said, "All right." He stood up and the three boys stood together to take a selfie. "Those guys are taking a selfie?" Chase asked. "I think I liked it better when they didn't get along," Shelby said. "And with Zac not getting the special treatment," Chase added. "Not nice, Chase," Koda said. "Ivan just respects Zac in different way than others." Chase looked down at his feet and muttered, "I just wanted that special sandwich." Tyler was showing Ivan his phone with Ivan saying, "It takes a photo?" Tyler smiled and said, "I know, it's so cool." "Let us do the famed duck mouth," Ivan said. "You read my mind," Tyler replied with Zac amused at the situation. They poised for the selfies, with Koda sneaking into one of them, with Chase shouting, "Hey! Not fair, Koda!" Zac smirked and thought, "This new addition to the team is already making this situation more interesting. Yeah the special attention might be irritating at times, but I understand that this is just how Ivan is. He is a knight so had knightly manners. Maybe he could help me with my tough decision in the future. I think I could learn a lot from him like I do with Keeper." He also remembered the new powers he got today. "The Energem must be behind these new powers turning up. It must be helping me develop my full merman powers quicker than normal. Does it want me to fulfill my destiny? I should ask Keeper about this..."


	14. Chapter 14: True Black

Dino Charge- Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Again sorry for the delay on this chapter. I am trying to add Mimmi and that part of the plot more into the story now and that was a challenge of what I wanted to do with that. But here is the next chapter.**

 **And again thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited this story.**

Chapter 14: True Black

At a secluded beach of the Golden Coast of Australia, Mimmi was sitting near the water looking out into the horizon with a sad look on her face. It has been a few weeks since Zac left for who knows where since Zac did not tell her where he was going. She was missing her brother a lot. She has been trying to keep up high spirits around everyone, but she does not know how long she can keep it up. Ordina has started to notice that something was wrong, but Mimmi just kept saying that she was fine. Even her mother Nerissa was starting to notice too. She also was trying to pry information about where Zac was from her, but since Mimmi did not know where Zac was, Nerissa could not get anything out of her. Mimmi could tell that Nerissa was slowly becoming desperate to find Zac and have the twins return to her home to take their place as co rulers of the sea. Mimmi was more ready for the responsibility than Zac was since he many times refused to come with them home. Mimmi did not blame him for that; he spent most of his life away from life under the sea (Little Mermaid joke :) ) and did not want to give up his life as a human. It is ironic; Nerissa sent Zac to the human world to protect him from the unrest of the sea until he was ready to take his place as king, but Nerissa did not take into account that Zac became too accustomed to that human life. Mimmi had a similar problem where she was sent to live with the Southern mermaid pod to protect her until she was ready to become queen, but she had friends here that she would be leaving behind, like Ordina. She sighed as she looked at the horizon. She wanted Zac back with her to help her with everything that was going on, but she knew that wherever Zac was, he was finding who he was. However, Mimmi also was having some strange things happened since Zac left. Sometimes she could feel him even though he was thousands of miles away. She was also getting weird visions of Zac with people she did not recognize and creatures that he was seeing. Mimmi could not contact him because they were too far apart to use telepathy, but these feelings and visions were slowly becoming stronger. And her mermaid powers were becoming stronger as well. Recently she noticed that she could sense things that felt wrong and see things that were very far away. Nerissa told her that slowly her mermaid powers would become stronger, but this seemed too fast. Mimmi was becoming scared about all of these sudden changes. Looking out at the sea, she started to cry and thought, "Please, Zac. I am trying to be strong while you are away but I don't know how long I can manage it. I need you…"

Elsewhere in Amber Beach, Zac was jolted awake in the middle of the night. Somehow, he heard in his head was Mimmi was just thinking thousands of miles away. He felt her sorrow and worry. Zac shook his head and said, "Mimmi. Why can I feel her when she is miles away? I can feel what she feels and see what she is thinking. But how can that e? Another question to add to the "Ask Keeper Later" pile." Zac got out of bed and went to his laptop. He knew that Evie and Cam would still be awake at their time zone so he opened up the video app and sent a video call. Evie and Cam's faces came up and Cam said, "Hey, man. It's been a while. Why is your room so dark?" Zac yawned and said, "Because it is very early in the morning where I am." Evie looked shocked and asked, "Why aren't you asleep?" "I was sleeping but something happened that woke me up," Zac answered. "I could feel Mimmi from where I am." Evie and Cam looked shocked with Evie saying, "How can that be? You two are thousands of miles apart for you two to feel your connection to each other." Zac sighed and said, "My powers have been growing quickly in the last few weeks. I think it has to do with my Energem. It must be helping my merman powers develop quicker than normal. But I woke up because I could feel her sadness. She is more emotionally crippled than I hoped she would be since I left. I could feel all of her sorrow and worry about our destiny and not knowing where I am. I have been thinking about this for a while, but I feel that she should start being a part of our video chats." "What?" Cam shouted. "Didn't you say that you did not want her to know where you are so that Nerissa won't find out?" "Yes," Zac said. "But I don't know how much longer I can handle getting her depressed feelings like this. Have you guys noticed anything like that from her?" "A little," Evie replied. "I can tell that she is putting on a brave face in front of us, but I can see the sadness in her eyes a lot. I too think that she should join our video chats. But we can still keep your location and secret job a secret. I don't think she will fully understand what you are doing as a Power Ranger." Zac nodded and said, "Good. Then tomorrow morning, your time, have her join the next video chat. Hopefully that will help put her at ease a little bit. I will see you two then." Zac then turned off the video chat and went back to bed. "Soon, Mimmi," he thought. "We will talk soon. Don't worry…"

Back where Mimmi was, she stood up suddenly and felt Zac's thoughts. She smiled at realizing that Zac was thinking about her and somehow knew that he could feel her sadness. But she thought of what he meant by "We will talk soon". She then decided to walk to the cafe to see if any of her friends were there. Evie and Cam were sitting at a table looking at Evie's laptop together. They seemed to be whispering to each other about something. Mimmi walked over to them and said, "Hey guys," Evie and Cam looked up shocked and Cam said, "Hey Mimmi. What's going on?" "I thought I would come to the cafe to see if anyone was here," Mimmi answered. "And I found you two. Is everything OK?" Evie and Cam looked at each other and Evie said, "Everyone can tell that you have been sad lately, even Zac somehow. He told us that he wants you to join in our video chat tomorrow." Mimmi looked shocked and said, "You two know where he has been this entire time and have been talking with him?" Cam stood up and said, "Zac wanted to keep his location a secret. He felt that if you knew where he was, Nerissa would get that info out of you and drag him back to her home. He needed to go off to figure out his life on his own without that pressure. He did not mean to upset you. He wants you to join the video chats so that he can help you calm down. To know that he is fine and thinking about all of us, even you." Mimmi calmed down and said, "Fine. I am still upset with you two and him that you kept this from me, but I understand why you did. I understand that Mom, Nerissa, can be demanding at times, but if Zac needs to figure out who he is without pressure, then I get it. I feel the same way. But yes, I want to be part of the video chats. I want to see that he is OK." "Good," Evie said. "We will meet here tomorrow morning and we will talk to him." Mimmi smiled and nodded.

Up at Sledge's ship, one of Sledge's underlings was getting a prisoner out of his cell saying, "You're in luck, Gold Digger. Sledge wants to see you." Gold Digger was dragged along saying, "Ok, ok. But first, let's test your luck." He then pulls out a coin. "Heads or tails?" He throws the coin in air with the underling catching it in his hand calling out tails, then heads, changing his mind. The coin starts to glow in his eyes with Gold Digger saying, "Either way, you lose." The underling then blows up with Gold Digger laughing. "I'm out of here, you fools." Sledge then comes around the corner and says, "Gold Digger. Stop wasting perfectly good guards. If you want your freedom, save your tricks for the Rangers. Bring me the Energems or I'll melt you down into Poisandra's jewelry." Gold Digger became scared and said, "Please, Master Sledge, anything but that."

Out in the woods, the Rangers were training: Tyler was doing handstands to work on upper body strength, Ivan and Riley were sword fighting, Koda was going through the obstacle course, Zac and Shelby were box fighting/kicking with each other, and Chase was in Ranger form working with Ms. Morgan on weapons. Zac was struggling against Shelby because of his lack of sleep the night before. Shelby knocked him down again with Shelby scoffing, "I win. Again." She helped Zac up and asked, "What's with you. Usually we are evenly matched but today I am wiping the floor with you. No offense. You seem sluggish today." "Sorry," Zac said. "I did not get a lot of sleep last night." Shelby sobered up and said, "Sorry." Zac shook his head and said, "It's ok. Besides, letting you win every once in a while is a good thing." Shelby looked shocked and said, "Wait. When have you let me win?" Zac mumbled but no sound came out. Shelby puts her gloves up and said, "Ok. Let's try this again."

Ms. Morgan walked over to Chase and said, "Ok, you ready?" Chase replied, "Ms. Morgan, I agree, training is important, but you want me to fly through that concrete wall?" Kendall nodded and said, "Correct. The Dino X Jaws are designed to be that tough. It works with Energem power." Chase sighed and said, "Ok. I'll give it a try. Dino Armor X Charger, ready." He powered up the charger and exclaimed, "Whoa, extreme power. well, here I go. Spiral attack." He launched into the attack and broke through the wall, but he spiraled out of control and nearly hit Shelby and Zac before he stopped and demorphed. Chase looked excited and said, "Oh, sweet. Ah, it works great, Kendall. I mean, Ms. Morgan." The other guys, minus Zac, cheered behind Ms. Morgan, but Ms. Morgan pointed to Shelby and Zac behind him at a hollowed out tree near them. "Hello?" Shelby asked. "Oh," Chase said. "Sorry, Shelby, Zac. It's got more power than I realized." Shelby scoffed at him with Zac saying, "I don't think that's what she meant, Chase." Chase was about to ask, but then heard a song playing in the background and instead said, "Hey, that's the NZed boys. They're from New Zealand. You're not one of those crazy fans, are you? The ones that know all the lame lyrics by heart? Who wear the NZed Boys t-shrits?" Shelby rolled her eyes and said, "No. I'm not that crazy." Zac was looking between the two and he did not like where the conversation was heading; he had learned the hard way not to make fun of something a girl really likes with Evie and her huge fan crush of Chris Hemsworth. Chase looked at Shelby and said, "Oh, you weren't planning on going to their concert tonight, were you?" Shelby sighed and said, "Well, maybe. This is the first time they've every played outside of New Zealand." Chase laughed and mockingly sing the lyrics like a fangirl would with Shelby turning around, looking embarrassed. Zac sighed and said, "Hey, I like that you like them. They do have good music." Shelby looked at him and said, "Really?" "Yes." Zac replied. "My girlfriend Evie would listen to their music a lot. She was planning on going to their concert when they come to Australia later this year. I offered to get tickets for her and I." Shelby smiled and said, "Why can't all guys be like you?" Zac shrugged and joked, "Maybe they are all hiding under the sea." Shelby playfully hit his shoulder laughing; Zac was happy that she cheered up after what Chase did.

Later, the Rangers all returned to the museum to work at the cafe. Ivan had just started working there, using his knightly charm with the customers. Shelby walked over to Koda and asked, "Have you seen Chase? He's an hour late for work." "No," Koda replied. In the kitchen, Tyler, Zac, and Riley were cooking and cleaning up. Riley sighed and said, "Breakfast rush, done." Zac sighed too and said, "You said it, Riley." Shelby walked in with dirty dishes and said, "Don't relax now. Lunch rush." Chase walked into the kitchen and Shelby walked over to him and asked, "Chase, where have you been? I need to go get tickets for the NZed Boys concert tonight." "No worries," Chase said. "I'm sure they've got heaps of tickets. They're not that popular." Shelby walked to and hung up her apron, revealing a NZed Boys shirt underneath. Chas saw this and said, "Oh, you are one of those crazy fans." Zac rolled his eyes at Chase's antics towards Shelby as the radio DJ on the stereo said, "That's the Need boys, the kiwi sensation. If you were planning on seeing them tonight, too bad, they are completely sold out." Shelby looked at the radio and said, "No, no. This was my one chance to see them in concert and now I've missed it." Chase shrugged and said, "No, you're not missing anything. Trust me." Shelby sighed and said, "I know you think they're lame. I got that." Shelby started to tear up and she ran out of the kitchen. Tyler walked up to Chase and said, "Hey, man, lighten up. You hurt her feelings." Chase shrugged and said, "No, she'e fine." Zac came up and wacked him on the side of the head. Chase rubbed his head and said, "Hey, man, what the heck?" Zac glared at him and said, "You clearly hurt her feelings. But you're too selfish to see that. She's our teammate, like a sister. And a brother would help his sister when she is feeling sad." Zac got a sad look on his face when saying that last part, with the other guys growing concerned, thinking that last statement meant something more to Zac since they knew about his sister, Mimmi. Before any of them could ask, their communicators went off. Kendall was on the line and said, "Alien vital signs. Everyone head out." Tyler nodded to the group and they ran out of the kitchen, but one of the female customers stopped Ivan and asked, "Excuse me, can we get some ketchup?" Ivan looked unsure if he should follow his teammates or help the customer out, so he decided to help and said, "Uh…but of course." He found a ketchup bottle and give it to her. Before he could walk off, she replied, "And mustard. And a side of pickles." Riley was trying to tell Ivan to come along, but Ivan said, "I shall be along forthwith."

The rest of the Rangers followed the coordinates to a part of the woods. Riley said, "These are definitely the coordinates that Ms. Morgan gave us." "I bet Sledge found our training area," Tyler replied. Koda looked ahead and said, "Oh, look!" and ran ahead and grabbed a gold coin that was on the ground. "It my lucky day." He found more coins, much to the confusion of the other Rangers. "Who would have left these here?" Shelby asked. Koda held a huge amount of coins inn his hands and said, "It's so shiny." Zac immediately felt his senses go strong as he had a strong feeling that something was not right. He saw the coins glow unusual and he ran and threw the coins out of Koda's hands and yell, "Take cover." The others ran for cover and the coins blew up. Koda looked up and said, "Coins gone." Riley looked over at Zac and said, "You sensed something was off about them?" Zac nodded as the group heard laughing around them as the group of villains surrounded them and Poisandra said, "Time for a little payback, Rangers." Gold Digger added, "And I've got money to burn." He grabbed some coins and threw them at the Rangers, who jumped out of the way as they exploded. "Your Energems will soon be mine." The Rangers got in line as Chase yelled, "It's morphing time." The group morphed into Power Rangers and got in a fighting stance. The entire group jumped in a nearby quarry (Author side note: This is obviously done so that the Japanese footage could be used. I have seen both Dino Charge and its Japanese counterpart so it is easy to tell during fight scenes which is American and which is Japanese. Back to the story.) Tyler looked at Gold Digger and said, "This guy looks like a museum threw up." The Rangers charged and attacked Gold Digger. The monster yelled, "You can't talk, you box of crayons." On a nearby hill, Poisandra yelled, "That's it, give the Rangers their money's worth." Wrench looked at Poisandra and said, "Are you crazy? He's useless. I'll take care of this." He jumped down and ran toward the Rangers, reaching for his axe and said, "Mind if I cut in? Let me show you how it's done." He rolled Gold Digger out of the way and fought the Rangers himself. He grabbed Tyler and Zac and pushed them backwards with his axe. Poisandra grabbed Gold Digger and said, "Don't let that time can push you around, Gold Digger. Get back in there and fight." "Yes, ma'am," Gold Digger replied. "Over here Rangers." He lend the other Rangers in another direction and they followed him, leaving Poisandra and her sidekick, Curio, behind, both mad.

Back with Wrench, Tyler, and Zac, they were fighting each other with Tyler saying, "Face it, Wrench, pigs will fly before you beat us." "Oh, yeah?" Wrench replied. "Well, watch me fly." He flew and swung his axe down to the ground, creating a huge blast and knocked Tyler and Zac off their feet to the ground. "Now I get get those Energems," Wrench said as he approached the boys. Suddenly, Ivan's saber landed on the ground, blinding Wrench. Ivan kicked Wrench back. Tyler and Zac looked up and said, "Ivan?" Ivan turned to them and said, "Behold, those damsels gave me my first tip." He held up a one dollar bill. Zac commented, "All that for a dollar?" Ivan nodded and said, "I agree, most kind." He looked at Wrench and said, "Prepare to feel the wrath." The three boys charged at Wrench to continue the fight.

The others were continuing their fight with Gold Digger back in the quarry. "He is trapped," Koda said as they cornered Gold Digger. The monster chuckled and said, "You're in luck. Let me spread the wealth." He threw more coins at the group who jumped out of the way to dodge them. Riley pulled his sword out and said, "Your luck's run out money bags." As Riley charged at the monster, Gold Digger pulled out a stone slab to block the attack. "His slab is like stone," Riley said. "We need extra power." Shelby powered up her Dino Steel and aimed her drill at Gold Digger, but she could not get through his stone slab and was knocked back. "Shelby, you OK?" asked Koda. Gold Digger laughed and said, "I have to tell Wrench about this." and he ran off to the woods where Wrench was fighting the other Rangers. The Rangers chased after him.

Wrench was battling Tyler and said, "You're going down, Red Ranger." He knocked Tyler down, but Ivan jumped in and attacked saying," I'm afraid you're quite mistake.." He was interrupted y Wrench knocking him backwards. Zac saw this and yelled, "Ivan, Tyler. I got your backs!" He got several hits onto Wrench, but then the monster swung his axe at Zac, knocking him back several feet. Wrench laughed and said, "Finally, I'm going to…" "Wrench!" Gold Digger yelled as he, followed by the other Rangers came in. "I know how we can beat the Rangers." "They why aren't they destroyed?" Wrench asked. Gold Digger pointed at the Rangers and said, "I'll crush them with my stone slabs." "You'd better," Wrench said. "Or Sledge will crush you." The Rangers were all together when Gold Digger pulled out more of his stone slabs and threw them at the Rangers. They multiplied and the Rangers dodged all of them. "Hold still." Gold Digger yelled. "You can't escape my slabs forever." Chase stood up and said, "Don't worry guys. I can break through his slab with the Dino Armor X Jaws." He powered it up, but it backfired one him. Gold Digger laughed and said, "Pathetic." He threw more stone slabs at the Rangers, trapping Tyler, Shelby, and Ivan. "We're going down!" Tyler shouted as he, Shelby, and Ivan had trouble holding the slabs up, and they were pushed underground. Chase looked in horror and said, "Oh, no. Tyler, Shelby, Ivan." Gold Digger laughed and said, "I'll crush you into the ground like the others." Chase yelled, "Guys, run!" The group ran, with Zac looking back at where the others got pushed underground. He hated the fact that he was leaving his fallen teammates behind, but the others had to retreat. He turned and ran after the others.

They all made it to a clearing with Riley saying, "I think we're out of range." Suddenly their communicators went off and Chase answered it, seeing that it was their trapped teammates. "Shelby, Tyler, Ivan, you OK?" Chase asked. Tyler coughed and said, "The slab pushed us deep underground. There's a pocket of air, but it's not gonna last long." "We're getting help," Chase answered. He ended communications and the group ran back to the museum. Tyler coughed and said, "Guys, don't give up." They all tried to push the slab upwards, but it would not budge.

Back at the lab, Kendall was analyzing the Dino Armor X Jaws charger. "We've got to hurry," Chase said. "I know I can save them if the Dino Armor X Charger works." Kendall took it out of the machine and said, "There's nothing wrong with it." Chase looked shocked and said, "What? Something is definitely wrong with it." Kendall sighed and said, "It worked when you tested it, and the transmitter says it works now. Somehow, the problem is with you." Chase got a shocked look on his face and said, "You think I'm the problem?" Zac rolled his eyes knowing that Kendall was right on that statement and was irritated at Chase for not seeing it, plus still being angry for the others' situation. Kendall turned to the other boys and said, "Riley, Koda, Zac, it's a long shot, but if it won't work with black energy, maybe it will work with blue, green, or aqua? I'll adjust the Dino Armor X Charger." Chase thought for a moment then said, "There's no way this is my fault." Zac could not take it anymore and stepped forward to Chase and said, "Yes it is. Can't you see it? Or do you think you are just awesome Chase like you always think?" Chase and the others looked at Zac with shock. Sure they remembered when he ranted about his merman heritage which nearly wrecked the lab with his powers, but he has never directed that anger at a team member. Kendall looked at the beakers and saw that the liquids in them start to bubble due to Zac's anger. She tried to say something but Zac cut her off by saying, "You don't care what others think. You only care about yourself. Did you ever see that you upset Shelby earlier by making fun of her love for the NZed Boys? No, but I saw it. I saw the tears in her eyes that you caused. She is our teammate, our sister. And getting her sad by making fun of her is not what a brother does. You should feel her pain, even if you were the one who caused it." "Zac!" Kendall yelled. Zac turned around and saw that his anger almost got the lab wrecked again so he calmed down and the lab went back to normal. Keeper appeared and said, "The black Energem bonded with you not just for your bravery but for your heart too." "Come again?" Chase said with a confused look on his face, part of it due to still reeling in from Zac's attack on him. Keeper sighed and said, "If your energy has been disrupted by doing something not true to your heart, then the Dino Charger may not work." Chase looked down and said, "Zac's right. I have been selfish lately. Me being mean to Shelby must be the reason." Keeper nodded then spoke to Zac saying, "As for you, I understand that you have been experiencing your sister's pain, haven't you." The others looked at Zac while he sighed and said, "Yes. Last night I woke up to sensing her sadness and pain of me leaving her behind to come here. She does not know where I am, for her safety and so that Nerissa does not drag me back to her home. I hate causing her pain, but I want to protect her. I was going to talk to her tonight to help ease her sadness." Keeper thought for a moment and said, "I can see the logic in that. But maybe you should not take out your frustrations on your teammates." Zac nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Chase." Chase nodded, then the communicators went off with Shelby on the line. She coughed and said, "Guys, I think our air is almost gone." An alarm blared in the lab and Kendall looked at the screen and said, "Their oxygen levels are near critical. We're out of time. I don't know if these will work without black energy, but it's our only chance." "Your friend's lived are in your hands," Keeper said. "Time is of the essence, Rangers." The group ran out of the lab, with Chase looking down at the charger then running after them.

The boys were running back to where the other Rangers were trapped with Chase saying, "I'll cover you while you try your Dino Armor X Charger." The others nodded and they came to the clearing where the others were trapped, but Gold Digger and Wrench were there waiting for them and blocking the stone slabs. Wrench shouted, "Here to free your friends, Rangers?" "Donn't hold your breath," Gold Digger said. The two monsters charged at the Rangers and Chase said to the others, "I'll keep them off you." He charged at the monsters, and Zac said, "Let's hope it works with blue, green, and aqua energies." They powered up the Dino Chargers, but like with Chase, it backfired and threw the three backwards to the ground. Chase soon landed near them as he was blasted by the two monsters. "Dino Armor X must only work with black energy," Riley said. The three ran up to Chase with Koda saying, "You must save them." The three boys got their swords out and Zac said, "We will take on these two monsters. Just remember what Keeper said." The three charged at the monsters as Chase got up from the ground and said, "Right, come on Chase, you can figure this out." His communicator went off with Shelby on it looking tired and she said, "Please…I think…we're running out." "No!" Chase shouted. "Hang on, Shelby. Keeper said I disrupted my energy because of my heart. I know now it was because of what I said to Shelby. Zac was right. Shelby, I shouldn't have teased you so much about likening the NZed Boys. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I did. And that threw off my energy so the Dino Armor X Charger didn't work." Shelby looked weakly at him and said, "It's OK, Chase." Chase shook his head and said, "No, it's not OK. I'm sorry." The communication went dead with Chase starting to freak out about Shelby and the others. "Dino Armor X is their only chance. I won't let you down, Shelby. Please work. Dino Charger, ready." He powered it up, and to his surprise and relief, it worked. "Armor X, ready." He glared at the two monsters, with Wrench saying, "You're never getting past me, Black Ranger." He threw his axe at Chase, but Chase knocked it out of the way. "What?" Wrench said in horror. "Gold Digger, get over here!" Chase glared at Wrench and said, "Nothing is stopping me. Spiral Attack." He charged at the two monsters with his attack and went right through them. "I've got to save, Shelby, Ivan, and Tyler," Chase said. He ran to where they were trapped and activated the Spiral Drill. The two monsters watched in horror as Wrench said, "He's dug right through your slabs." The other Rangers ran into the scene with them all looking in wonder at Chase using the Dino X Armor with success. Zac smiled and said, "Good on you, Chase. You figured it out." Seconds later, Chase jumped out with the three previously trapped Rangers in tow. "They all right," Koda said. Chase demorphed and looked and Shelby who was in his arms. He said, "I'm sorry you missed the concert. Can you ever forgive me?" Shelby looked up at him and said, "I already have." The others ran over to them with Riley saying, "Thank goodness you guys are OK." "We very worried," Koda added. Zac looked at Chase and said, "Good job, man. Maybe you aren't that selfish guy I thought you were." Chase smiled at him, but saw the monsters getting up behind him with Wrench saying, "Yikes! They got out. More slabs." Gold Digger pointed at Wrench and said, "You make it sound easy." Chase and the others glared them down with Chase saying, "Haven't you learned your lesson? It's morphing time."

He, Shelby, Tyler, and Ivan morphed back into the Ranger armor. Everyone powered up their Dino Steel and got their individual weapons and Chase powering up the Dino X Armor. They chased Gold Digger into a nearby quarry (again so that the show could use Japanese footage) with Gold Digger saying, "This time, I'll bury you." "Not if we try you first," Tyler retorted back. Then they went down the line with their battle calls. "Tyrannosaurus Rex, Power Ranger Red." "Parasaur, Power Ranger Black." Stegosaurus, Power Ranger Blue" "Velociraptor, Power Ranger Green." "Triceratops, Power Ranger Pink." "Pterodactyl, Power Ranger Gold." "Ankylosaurus, Power Ranger Aqua." "Dinosaur might, ready to fight. Power Rangers, Dino Charge." They all poised into their battle poses with a huge explosion went off behind them. (Because why not) Wrench finally caught up with the group and said, "You'll wish you had stayed underground." Gold Digger summoned Vivix who charged in to attack the Rangers. The multicolored team charged through them with no problem thanks to their weapons. Tyler and Zac were fighting Gold Digger, but they were having some trouble because Tyler's T-Rex Smasher and Zac's Ankylo Hammer could not get though the stone slabs. Chase was fighting Wrench one on one with him saying, "All right, tin man. You're about to get recycled." Wrench laughed and said, "Your new power won't stop me." Chase dodged his attack with him saying, "Oh, please. Fighting you is easier than a spin class with training wheels." "I don't get it," Wrench said. "What's a spin class?" Chase laughed and said, "I'll give you a demonstration. Spiral Attack." He used the Dino X Armor and spun Wrench around and around, finally throwing him up into the sky far away from the battle.

Tyler and Zac were still having some trouble with Gold Digger. "Haven't you learned yet?" Gold Digger asked. "You can't break my slabs." Zac saw Chase running toward and said to Gold Digger, "Maybe not, but he can." He and Tyler jumped out of the way as Chase used his Spiral Attack and knocked down Gold Digger. "That was only one slab," Gold Digger said. "Guys," Chase said, realizing what Gold Digger was going to do. "He's gonna multiply. Tyler, the Dino Spike." Tyler readied the Dino Spike with the other Rangers minus Chase helping him launch it while Chase used the Spiral Attack, destroying Gold Digger.

Up on Sledge's ship, the monster himself got frustrated with Gold Digger's defeat. "Gold Digger's not done yet." He powered up his machine that then revived Gold Digger and made the monster grow.

"Guys," Chase said. "Our problem just multiplied." The group called their Dino Zords and created the Dino Charge Megazord. The group minus Ivan jumped into the Megazord and readied to fight Gold Digger. The monster laughed and said, "Prepare to be crushed." He pulled out some of his stone slabs and threw them at the Rangers. Some landed on the Megazord and the robot tried to hold it up, but it was too heavy and the Megazord started to sink into the ground. Suddenly the Pterozord flew in and flew to help the Megazord as it sunk into the ground. "I win!" Gold Digger shouted. But he then got shocked by the Pterozord who was carrying the Megazord. "Surprise!" Tyler yelled. "The Pterozord saved us just in time." "Ha, we tricked him," Shelby said. They activated the TriStegoPtero formation and readied to fight Gold Digger again. They used the Final Lightning Strike and destroyed Gold Digger once and for all. "Now that's a buried treasure," Tyler said, with Zac slightly rolling his eyes at the bad pun. "Tyler needs to work on those more," he thought.

Back at the cafe, the Rangers were in the kitchen listening to the radio which was playing a song from the NZed Boys. Ivan walked in and said, "What on earth are you doing? The customers, they hunger." The group shushed him with Tyler saying, "Shh. The song is about to end." The song ended and the radio DJ said, "It's sold out, but you can still win VIP passes to tonight's NZed Boys if you're our ninth caller." The group pulled out their cell phones and called the number that was provided. The radio DJ says on the radio, "Looks like we have a winner. Hello ninth caller?" The group hear a man's voice on the radio saying that he won and the group become disappointed. Koda looked at the radio and said, "First, song make me want to punch radio. Now I love. I need concert." Zac looked over at Shelby who had a sad look on her face. He wrapped his arm around her and said, "It's OK, Shelby. We all tried." Shelby gave him a small smile and said, "Thanks, Zac." On the radio, the DJ asked the ninth caller for his name. Suddenly Chase barged into the kitchen with him talking on his cell phone, revealing that he was the ninth caller. "My name is Chase, mate." The radio DJ told him congrats and saying that he will see him and his friends at the concert. The group laughed and ran over to Chase hugging him. Ms. Morgan walked in seeing the excitement and said, "We're all taking the night off." Tyler looked up and said, "Come on, let's lock up and go get ready." Zac looked at the group and said, "While you all do that, I need to make a video call really quick. I promised my sister that she could finally talk to me today. Don't worry it won't take that long. The concert is not for another couple of hours." The others nodded and they all ran out but Chase stopped Shelby and said, "Oh, hey, um, I'm really sorry again about what happened. I need to be more careful with what I say. Teasing can really hurt people's feelings." Shelby smiled and said, "So, does that mean you're not perfect as you think you are?" Chase scoffed and said, "Come on, no one's perfect. But, I'm as close as it gets. Let's go get those tickets." Shelby laughed and she and Chase ran after the others.

In another room at the museum, Zac pulled out his laptop and pulled up the video chat app and called Cam and Evie, hoping that Mimmi would be with them. The call took hold and he saw Cam, Evie, and much to his relief, Mimmi's faces on the screen. Mimmi smiled brightly and said, "Zac! I can't believe I am able to see you again. On this screen no less." Zac laughed, knowing that she still did not understand everything about the human world. "It's good to see you again Mimmi. As well as you two, Cam and Evie." Evie smiled and said, "Same here. So, how was your day today?" Zac was about to go into his battle with Gold Digger, but knowing that Mimmi did not know his Ranger secret, decided to say instead, "My day has been up and down. I had to work on my summer courses thanks to Ms. Morgan, the head of the museum, worked at my job at the museum cafe with the others…" "What others?" Mimmi asked. Zac remembered that she did not know about his new friends at the museum and said, "The others who work with me at the museum cafe, Tyler, Chase, Koda, Riley, Shelby, and Ivan. They are all really nice and we have become good friends. But that does not mean that they replace you guys." Cam laughed and said, "We know that." Zac laughed too and continued, "One of them won tickets to see the NZed Boys tonight." Evie gasped and said, "That new pop group from New Zealand? How on earth did he get them? Their concerts always get sold out so quickly." Zac laughed and said, "From a radio contest. They were looking for the ninth caller and he was the ninth caller. So we are leaving in a little bit to go get the tickets and see them." "Wow," Mimmi said. "You sound like you are having a lot of fun over there." Zac saw that Mimmi was getting a sad look on her face and said to Cam and Evie, "Hey Cam, Evie? Can I talk to Mimmi one on one for a little bit?" They both nodded and went off the screen to another location where Zac could not see them. Zac looked at Mimmi and said, "Hey, I know that you have been struggling with this. Cam and Evie have noticed it." Mimmi started to get tears in her eyes and said, "I miss you Zac. I understand why you are doing this but I still miss you. I miss the close connection we had. Even though sometimes I can still feel you even though you are thousands of miles away." Zac sighed and said, "So you have been feeling my thoughts even though we are too far apart for that to work. Have you noticed anything else about your powers? New ones coming on, older ones feeling stronger?" Mimmi thought for a moment and said, "Now that you mention it, yes. Sometimes I can hear what you are thinking and some of my older powers have become stronger. I was practicing with some of my water powers and they almost got too out of control and more powerful than they have been in the past. And recently I noticed that I could see things that are far away and sense things that feel off. Has this been happening to you too?" Zac nodded and said, "That's why I asked. The same things about my powers have been happening to me too." "Maybe this is just the next step into becoming the rulers of the seas," Mimmi suggested. To her surprise Zac did not flinch as bad as in the past with mentioning their destiny and he said, "Maybe. This could be a sign that it may be happening quicker than I thought. Have you mentioned any of this to Nerissa?" Mimmi shook her head and said, "No. To be honest, I haven't really talked to her that much since you have been gone. When I have, she is always asking if I know where you are. I feel that she is slowly becoming more desperate in finding you and bringing both of us to her home so that we can be crowned and bring peace back to the seas." Zac looked worried and said, "She hasn't hurt you or used our connection to find me, has she?" Mimmi again shook her head and said, "No, she hasn't. But I am afraid that she might do that soon. While I understand why you had to go away, she does not. She thinks that you are just avoiding the inevitable and I feel that her patience may run out soon. So please be careful." Zac smiled and said, "I will. I will be back when the time is right. I have realized a lot of things since I have been here and I think I am closer to making my decision on my life." Mimmi looked worried and said, "Will I like your decision?" Zac smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will never give you up, sis. We are in this together. Nerissa may think that she can decide for us, but we are a team that can never be broken and we choose for ourselves at our own time. I will not have her rush this. But I have realized that maybe this destiny is not such a bad thing after all, however I still want the connections I have made in the human world. Surely you feel the same after staying in it for a while." Mimmi thought for a second. She realized that Zac was right; she loves the friendships she has made and the boy she fell in love with at her job at the amusement park. She smiled and said, "Yes I agree. Maybe there can be a way that we can do both. Should I say this to Nerissa?" Zac shook his head and said, "Not yet. We both have to think this through some more. I will do my part here while you do your part there. When the time is right, we will tell her what we want to do together. Sound good?" Mimmi smiled and said, "Yes, that sounds like a plan." Zac smiled back and said, "Just hang in there for a little while longer. Like I said, I will be back before you know it. Just smile a little more. From what Cam and Evie told me, you have been moping a little too much." Mimmi laughed and said, "I will." Zac looked at his watch and said, "I have to go now. I will talk to you soon. Can you go get Cam and Evie so I can say goodbye to them?" Mimmi nodded and got the two and she walked out of the room with a smile on her face. Cam looked at Zac and said, "What did you say to her that got her all smiles?" Zac laughed and said, "We talked about some things and I told her to stop being depressed all the time. I won't say what I told her since that I want to stay between the two of us for now but I will let you know soon." Evie smiled and said, "Always trying to be a good brother. So what did you leave out that you did not want to say in front of her?" Zac sighed and said, "I did not want to mention the monster fight I had earlier since she does not know about my Ranger secret. I don't know how she will react to it after what we just talked about. But I know that I have to tell her soon. I just don't want Nerissa to use her to get to me." Cam smiled and said, "Sounds fair. So you had some Rangers duties today?" Zac smiled and said, "Usual stuff. Monsters wanted our Energems, we fought them, and we won. I can't see anything more since I have to go now to get to the concert. I will talk to you guys soon." They logged off the video chat and Zac sighed. "Oh, Mimmi," Zac thought. "I am glad to see you smiling again and that you agree with what I want my future to be. But will you understand my Ranger secret?"


	15. Chapter 15: Rise of a Ranger

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Finally, we are getting another Ranger into the story. How is this new Ranger going to affect Zac? Well, just read and find out.**

 **Again, thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed this story so far. I greatly appreciate it all.**

Chapter 15: Rise of a Ranger

In a rock quarry in Zandar, some workers were digging with some heavy equipment when a worker noticed that something was glowing from the rubble. He made the men running the machines stop so they could look and see what was glowing. The man looked and saw a dinosaur fossil and said, "This must be the one."

At the palace of Zandar, Prince Phillip was practicing fighting with his new robot. As he was fighting it, he looked over at the man operating it and said, "Very nice moves. My Ranger friends will be impressed." Suddenly a man and a woman carrying in the dinosaur fossil that was found came in and said, "Your Highness, they may have found the fossil you were looking for." Phillip walked over to the fossil and said, "Everyone, please leave me." They all left the prince in peace as he got out some tools and opened the fossil up and found the Gray Energem. (I know that in the show it is called the Graphite Energem, but I think that is too silly of a name so I am going with what the Ranger was called in the Japanese version, which was Gray. Although I kept the Aqua name instead of Cyan because I think that fits, especially since that relates more to Zac because he is a merman and Aqua is the Spanish word for water.) "This could be it," Phillip said. He pulled the gem out of the fossil and said, "Ah, yes. Finally, an Energem." He thought back to when he handed back the Gold Energem to Ivan who said that he would make the kingdom proud. He sighed and said, "I, too, shall make the kingdom proud." He held it up and yelled, "Energize!" but nothing happened. He tried again by shouting, "Unleash the power!" but again nothing happened. "What?" he said confused as to why he did not morph.

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury was passing out slop to the prisoners and said, "Fury, empty the slop buckets. Fury, polish the prison bars. One more order, and I…" Suddenly, Poisandra said behind him, "Fury! Mop this floor. Now. And do it right this time. Why Sledge keeps you around is beyond me." She walked past him with Fury growling then turned around and said, "Don't miss a spot." But she was unaware that she was standing right outside of the solitary confinement cell as a tentacle reached out and grabbed her. She screamed and said, "Let go! Sledgers! Sledge!" Fury laughed at her situation, but then thought, "Wait. This could e the chance to redeem myself. I'll save you Poisandra." He ran over to Poisandra to free her as Sledge came around the corner. Fury grabbed an electrical wire and shocked the creature saying, "Let her go!" The creature retreated and let Poisandra go. Sledge ran up and said, "Oh, it's all right, darling. Sledgeums is here." He looked up at Fury and said, "Good work, Fury." Fury looked at him and said, "I remain your faithful servant, Master Sledge." "Maybe you deserve another shot at destroying those Rangers, but don't screw it up," Sledge said as he walked past Fury. "Thank you, Master," Fury replied. He handed Poisandra the mop and said, "Here you go, Pinkie. Don't miss a spot. Get ready, Rangers. It's time for some revenge."

At the muesum, the group were watching a group of New Zealand children preform a dance from their country. One of them was Chase's little sister as he was looking at her with pride and compassion. The group ended their routine and Ms. Morgan came up and said, "Thank you to our visitors from New Zealand for their wonderful performance of kapa haka, or traditional Maori dance. The audience clapped with Chase standing and clapping the loudest.

The dancers went to the cafe to eat and Chase walked in, with his sister noticing and ran right to him shouting, "Chase!" Chase hugged her and said, "Hey, Chloe! How's my favorite little sister? Wow, you've grown right out of your pants." Chloe laughed and said, "These are shorts. Can we go skateboarding first?" "Yep," Chase said. "You're not here for long, so let's start having fun." Chloe went to get her helmet and Chase looked up to see Tyler miming to him that they had to go because of Ranger duties. Chloe came back and said, "Ready." He sighed and said, "Chloe, something's come up with work. Can we skate later?" Chloe got a sad look on her face and said, "Oh, ok. No worries." Chase nodded and ran back to the kitchen. Zac saw the sad look on Chloe's face from the kitchen and sighed, thinking of Mimmi and knowing that she felt the same way when he had to leave. He hated that feeling and knew that Chase was feeling the same way he was and felt sorry for him. Tyler looked at the group and said, "Ivan's run into Fury. We gotta go." The group ran out of the kitchen but Chase looked back at his sister, depressed that he had to abandon spending time with her for Ranger duties. Zac saw this and said, "Hey man. I get it. You hate seeing your sister sad. Trust me I know." Chase smiled and said, "I know. I still remember that big rant you gave me. But now I think I understand what you go through with your sister. I just hate having to leave her like this." Zac patted Chase's shoulder and said, "Hey, the sooner we deal with Fury, the sooner we can come back so you can go skateboarding with her." Chase smiled and said, "All right then. Let's hurry this up." They both ran out of the kitchen to catch up with the others.

Somewhere in the city. Ivan morphed into his Ranger armor and was fighting Fury. He yelled, "Put your best paw forward, you feline fiend!" Fury knocked Iva back and said, "You beat me once, Gold Ranger, but you did not defeat me!" "Perhaps not then" Ivan replied. "But you won't be so lucky today." Fury laughed and said, "See what you say in 800 years after I've locked you away again." They locked swords again and clashed and clashed, both fighters evenly matched. Ivan raised his sword and said, "Prepare to feel the wrath." He charged his sword and sent a lightning strike right at Fury, hitting him square in the chest. Fury growled and said, "You'll pay for that." Ivan charged at Fury and said, "Time to take you down a notch, Fury." He grabbed Fury and both fighters fell off the building they were on down to the streets below, with the other Rangers catching up to them. Tyler said, "Ivan, we've got you covered." Ivan sighed and said, "Thank you, my faithful friends. Let's finish this once and for all." Fury summoned some Vivix and attacked the Rangers. Both groups were so focused on fighting each other that they barely noticed a robot come in and started to attack the Vivix. Tyler noticed this and said, "What is that thing?" "It trying to help us," Koda said. The robot fell on Riley, who rolled the robot off of him and said, "Well, it's not doing a very good job, is it?" Tyler kicked a Vivix and said, "Leave it and get Fury. You too, Shelby." Zac ran over to look at the robot and said, "But where did it come from?" Tyler grabbed Zac and said, "We need to go after Fury now."

All of the Rangers attacked Fury who shouted, "Vivix, get that robot." The Vivix swarmed the robot and started to overwhelm it, but Fury was having trouble with all the Rangers attacking him. He yelled, "I can't fight all seven of you. Vivix, attack." The Vivix swarmed the Rangers as Fury ran for cover and said, "I must not fail Sledge again. I need another plan." He then disappeared along with the Vivix.

The Rangers looked around confused as Tyler said, "Fury's gone." Chase sighed and said, "I gotta get back. I can't disappoint Chloe." Zac nodded and said, "Go ahead Chase. Go spend some time with her." Chase nodded and said, "Thanks mate." and he ran off. The others demorphed and ran over to where the robot was, who was glitching up. "What's with this thing?" Shelby asked. It was walking repeatedly into a wall as Tyler asked, "Where did it come from?" Suddenly Phillip walked up surprising the group with Shelby saying, "Your Highness. What are you doing here?" Phillip smiled and said, "I came to speak with Koda and Zac." Zac and Koda looked at each other confused as Phillip continued, "When I saw you were in trouble, I decided to lend a hand with my robot." Koda looked at the robot and said, "This fighting machine is yours?" Phillip smiled and said, "It fought well, did it not?" The others tensed up with Zac saying, "Well, it has some interesting moved, and it looks like it has some durability…" Ivan interrupted by saying, "Eh, t'was not that helpful is what His Highness is trying to say." Zac smacked Ivan on the arm muttering, "Ivan. Really?" Ivan suddenly realized that he called Zac "His Highness" in front of someone who did not know his secret and muttered an apology as Tyler continued, "A machine just can't react the way a human Ranger can." Shelby added, "To be honest, it kinda sorta got in the way." "I see," Phillip said. As the group was focusing on Phillip, Zac heard something out of the corner of his ear and turned to see some Vivix trying to take the robot. He got the group's attention by saying, "Guys, the Vivix are taking the robot." The group ran after them, but the Vivix disappeared. "They slipped through our fingers," Ivan said. Phillip held up the remote and said, "They can't run it without the remote." Tyler sighed and said, "I hope you're right. Fury can be pretty clever."

Up on Sledge's ship, Wrench was working on the robot and said, "I was able to bypass the remote control. I've programmed it to automatically target the Rangers." Fury looked at the robot, then at Wrench and said, "I believe it when I see it. Stop talking and show me." Wrench grabbed a wanted poster with Ivan's face on it and slapped it on a Vivix. "Watch this," Wrench said. "Robot, destroy Rangers." He pushed the Vivix forward and the robot targeted and shot the Vivix. "Yes," Fury said. "The perfect weapon to finish the Rangers."

At the museum cafe, Zac and Koda were sitting with Phillip. Phillip looked at Koda and said, "I don't believe it. Really? A cave man?" Koda nodded as he bit into his burger. Zac laughed to himself; Koda always loved eating burgers. Phillip looked at Zac and said, "And what did Ivan mean when he called you "His Highness"?" Zac shuttered as he was in a public place and did not want to reveal his secret to prying ears, even to the prince. Even though he respected the prince a little bit since their last meeting, he still did not trust him enough with his secret. While he was thinking of an answer and Koda was still chewing on his burger, a girl came up and said to Phillip, "Cann I have your autograph, Your Highness?" Zac rolled his eyes at this, he still didn't like the snobby attention the prince got just because he was a prince and he wished that this would never happen to him. Phillip looked at the girl and said, "Ah. But of course. Anything for a fan." As he singed the photo of himself, the girl sighed and said, "You are so cute." And Zac rolled his eyes again at this. The girl walked away and Phillip looked back to Zac and said, "Well?" Zac suddenly remembered and tried to think of a lie, but Koda spoke up and said, "Zac is prince. Prince of..Ow!" Zac kicked Koda in the shin to shut him up. Zac spoke up and said, "It's just a nickname that Ivan gave me. Since I come from somewhere else than the others, Ivan calls me Prince Zac of Under, since I am from Australia. Right, Koda?" Koda looked confused but saw the glare inn Zac's eyes and nodded. Phillip did not totally buy it, but he chose to leave it alone for now, sensing that Zac wanted to keep it to himself. He then said, "So, uh, you say the Energems bonded with you two. Well, how is that?" Koda looked up at him and said, "It chose me." Phillip looked puzzled and asked, "It chose you? Why?" Koda thought for a moment and said, "It believe I have good heart." "Good heart?" Phillip asked. "Well, how does one prove that to a gem?" Koda looked puzzled so Zac spoke up and said, "Well, we both got bonded to them in different ways. Koda sacrificed himself for his brother and I saved a boy from drowning. But I think that in order to bond with it and become a Ranger, you need to prove yourself worthy of it." Phillip got this awed look in his eyes and said, "A Ranger must be worthy." He munched on a carrot as Zac started to look worried. What was Phillip up to?

Later, the group were taking in boxes that were just donated to the museum. Shelby opened a box and said, "Someone got the museum new fossils?" Ms. Morgan found a letter on one of the sides of the boxes and said, "From the Prince of Zandar?"

Elsewhere, Phillip was donating some goods to the local shelter. He was helping bring boxes in and said, "Ah, yes. That's perfect right there. Nobody around here will be hungry for a long while." He pulled out the Energem, but it did not bond with him.

He tried again and again by sending supplies to local hospitals, building parks for young children, and sending money to various charities. Despite all of the thanks he was getting, nothing was making the Energem bound with him. He sat at his desk and said. "I don't know what more I can do."

At the Amber Beach skateboard park, Chase was helping his sister, Chloe with her helmet as she said, "Can you show me how to do a midair 360?" Chase laughed and said, "That's lesson two. Lesson one is foot on board." Suddenly his Dino Comm went off and he said, "Oh, uh, just one sec?" He pulled it out and Shelby said, "Chase, we need you here, now." Chase sighed and said, "You're kidding me. Again? I'll be there." He put the communicator away and turned to see Chloe say, "Ready?" Chase got down on his knees and said, "I, uh, have to.." Chloe sighed and said, "Work again, huh?" "Yeah," Chase replied. "Hey, why don't you go play with your mates? I'll be back as soon as I can, OK?" He got on his skateboard and skated away. Chloe looked down in her hands and saw the present she wanted to give him. She tried to call to him, but he could not hear her. So she ran after him.

The group were sitting down at a local cafe with Prince Phillip who said, "Nothing is more noble than helping one's fellow man, and I wanted to help you on your mission to keep the Earth safe. A week ago, I found this." He held up the Gray Energem. Everyone gasped. "Gray Energem," Koda said. Zac looked at Phillip and said, "So that's why you asked about the Energems. Why didn't you just tell the truth about that?" Phillip retorted with, "Well, why didn't you tell me the truth about what Ivan called you?" Zac was shocked that Phillip knew he was lying but did not say anything. Phillip looked to the others and said, "Well, I hoped it would bond with me. I did everything I could, but clearly I'm not worthy of being a Power Ranger." Zac looked at Phillip with pity. He could tell that the prince meant well and he felt sorry for him. Phillip looked at Tyler and said, "Perhaps you can find someone more fitting." He handed the Energem to Tyler who took it and said, "Thanks, Prince Phillip. This means a lot."

Suddenly a laser blast shot the Energem out of Tyler's hand and into a nearby fountain. The group looked around and saw Fury with some Vivix and Phillip's robot. "Like my new weapon?" Fury asked. Phillip looked in horror as he said, "My robot. It's impossible." Fury laughed and said, "Time to crush you with your own technology." Tyler pointed at the robot and Fury and said, "That hunk of steel doesn't stand a chance against us." The Rangers charged at the villains and attacked back. Phillip's bodyguards hid him in the cafe while the Rangers fought Fury. The feline said, "You'll never defeat my mechanical minion." Chase was fighting the robot and saw Chloe ran up to him. He shouted "Chloe, stop!" but the robot fired at Chase, knocking him back. Chloe was caught up in the mess of the fight and tried running away with Fury directing the robot to attack her, and Chloe screamed for help. Chase tried to get to her but the Vivix kept him back. Phillip couldn't stand it anymore and charged into the battle, knocking his robot out of the way and got to her saying, "Come with me," and carried her bridal style out of the battle. Chase ran over to them and said, "Chloe! Are you all right?" Chloe nodded and Chase said, "Oh, my gosh." He saw Phillip's bodyguards come up and he told Chloe, "Look, these guys will take you back to the museum. I'll be there soon." "OK, Chase." Chloe replied as the bodyguards lead her away. Chase looked at Phillip and said, "Thank you, mate. I owe you one."

Suddenly, the Gray Energem glowed and rose from its hiding spot. Fury noticed this and said, "Another Energem." Chase and Phillip looked at it with wonder. Then the Energem launched itself at Phillip and he caught it, falling to the ground. Everyone shouted at the prince to see if he was alright, but saw gray lights all over Phillip as the Energem bonded with him. The group kicked Fury to the ground and ran over to the prince who said, "It chose me." Chase laughed and said, "Congrats." Koda said, "Energem very smart." Zac smiled and said, "Looks like you are worthy of being a Power Ranger. Welcome to the team." A Dino Morpher appeared in Phillip's hand as the Dino Comm went off and Shelby said into it, "Ms. Morgan, you're not going to believe what just happened."

Fury got up and regrouped with the Vivix and shouted, "Another Ranger? Not for long." Phillip stepped forward and asked, "Is is morphing time?" Tyler nodded and said, "You bet it is." Fury stared down the group and said, "You beat me once, but it won't happen again." The Rangers stood in a battle stance and morphed. Phillip looked at his armor in awe, amazed that he was finally a Ranger. Zac saw this and said, "Ready to do this, Your Highness?" Phillip looked at him and said, "Right with you, Your Highness," smirking under the helmet. Zac had to chuckle at that knowing that Phillip wasn't going to let this go until he got a real explanation. But Zac felt that since the prince was now part of the team, he had a right to know his secret. He looked at the others and said, "Phillip and I will go after the robot. We will leave Fury and his goons to you guys." The others nodded and they split into the two groups.

Tyler was fighting against some Vivix and said, "You mopheads should try cleaning up your act." Chase rain up and said, "Let me help with that." as he knocked some Vivix down.

Zac and Phillip were thrown to another part of the area to fight the robot who kept chanting, "Attack Ranger." Phillip charged his arm back and punched the robot back saying, "This new power is great but there's nothing worse than fighting your own creation." "You can say that again," Zac said as he kicked the robot back, but the robot charged again at the pair. Phillip leapt at the robot and said, "Looks like the monster gave you some new tricks." The robot prepared for a blast attack and fired at the boys, forcing them to dodge out of the way. Zac turned to Philip and said, "You have a specific weapon. Go ahead and summon it. We need some extra power. Ankylo Hammer!" He summoned his weapons and charged at the robot. Phillip concentrated and a chain with a spiked ball on one of its end. Phillip grinned and yelled, "Pachy Wrecker!" and charged at the robot with Zac.

Koda powered up his Dino Steel with Stego Shield and charged at Fury who attacked back and said, "Maybe this club will drive back to the Stone Age!" Koda retorted, "That not impressive." Ivan charged in from behind yelling, "En garde!" at Fury and nearby Vivix. Ivan flew around them shouting, "'Tis I, the Knight of Zandar come to smite thee with steel and lightning." Koda watched Ivan fight and said, "Now that impress me."

Shelby tossed Vivix around and said, "You're so easy to beat, I can do it from the ground." And she did the splits, bringing some Vivix down with her and punched them away. Riley had his sword out and said, "Nice try, but not nice enough." as he slashed through the Vivix.

"I never should have given you such long lasting batteries," Phillip said as he and Zac hit the robot with their weapons. Phillip tried attacked from behind, but the robot just punched him backwards and fired blasts at him. Zac grabbed the robot and threw it a good few feet. "Wow," Zac said. "Stronger than I thought I was."

"I help you, Ivan," Koda said as he threw his Stego Shield at Fury which then rebounded back and knocked down the Vivix that Ivan was fighting, then finally coming back to Koda. He then charged at the Vivix that Ivan was fighting and slashed it with Ivan coming in from behind and slashing it some more, knocking it backwards. Fury was getting irritated and summoned Vivix to combine and grow into giant monsters with him finally saying, "I'm outta here." and left the battle.

The robot just did not want to stop attacking Phillip and Zac, with it still chanting, "Attack Ranger!" with Phillip replying, "You already said that." "Then we need to shut him up for good," Zac said as he and Phillip were pinned down by the robot. Phillip looked up and saw the giant Vivix and said, "What are those things?" The other Rangers rounded the corner and saw the giant Vivix attacking. "Oh, no!" Tyler shouted. One of the monsters swung a foot down with Ivan shouting, "Watch out!" and the six jumped out of the way, but Tyler got knocked out. Zac and Phillip got back on their feet and attacked the robot, knocking it back and down for the moment. Suddenly, the Dino Comms went off and Phillip answered his. "Prince Phillip," Kendall said on the other side. "Tyler's been hurt. You and Zac need to call your Zords." "Wait," Phillip said. "Aren't you the museum director?" "Yes she is," Zac replied. "But we can focus on that later." "Just throw your Dino Charger now!" Kendall said. "Uh," Phillip replied. "I will help as best I can." He ended communication and Zac said, "Here, like this. Pull out one of your Dino Chargers from your belt and use that to summon your Zord." Zac pulled out one of his Dino Chargers and Phillip did the same. "Summon Ankylo/Pachy Zord!" The boys shouted and their Zords appeared. The Pachy Zord was gray and its tail was like the Ankylo Zord where its Ranger's main weapon was also the Zord's tail. The Pachy Zord came in and swung its tail at the monsters knocking them back. "That's my Zord?" Phillip asked. "Yep," Zac said. "And mine is coming in too." The Ankylo Zord swung its tail down hard at both monsters. The other Rangers ran to Tyler's aid with Ivan saying, "Sir Tyler! Are you all right?" "Yeah," Tyler said shaking his head clear and standing up. "Look at that! Both Zac and Phillip's Zords are fighting off the Vivix monsters." Both Zords charged their tails up and swung at both Vivix monsters, destroying them.

The rest of the Rangers ran to aid Zac and Phillip, with Ivan shouting, "Your Highnesses!" Phillip stopped them and said, "If our Zords can take out those creatures, then Zac and I can finish you." Zac nodded and said, "Then let's finish this." Both boys charged their weapons up and swung at the robot, destroying it. Zac and Phillip looked at the rubble that was the robot and said together, "Robot destroyed." The rest of the Rangers ran up to them and congratulated their new teammate. "Prince Phillip, Zac," Chase said, "That was…" "Awesome!" Everyone shouted. "You met your Pachy Zord," Koda said. "With some help from Zac," Phillip said looking at his teammate. "You both helped me get here." "Thanks," Zac said. Both of the Zords roared and went back to their normal hiding places with Phillip saluting his Zord and said, "Thank you, Pachy Zord." And Zac added, "See you soon, Ankylo Zord."

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury's pod docked and he said, "Ah, good. I thought Sledge would be waiting here to tell me off." Suddenly Sledge came in and yelled "Fury! I sent you to destroy the Rangers, but now there's even more of them!" "Indeed," Fury said, "I failed, but no one wants revenge as badly as I do. Give me another chance." Sledge growled and said, "My patience will run out, just like your nine lives."

Down at the skate park, Chase finally got to spend time with his sister and was teaching her how to skate. "Ha," Chase said. "You're doing great." Chloe finished her skating and said, "Woo-hoo! The next champion, just like my big brother." A car horn honked nearby and it was Chloe's dance team ready to leave to go back to New Zealand. "Aw," Chloe said. "I have to go already." She reached into her bag and pulled out the present she wanted to give to Chase earlier. "It's for you. Open it." Chase opened the box and saw a plane ticket inside. Chloe smiled and said, "It's a plane ticket to New Zealand, so you can come see Mum and I for Christmas." Chase smiled and said, "Chloe, this might just be the best present I ever got. I wouldn't miss it for the world." He hugged Chloe goodbye and walked her to the van where her team was waiting.

Down in the Ranger lab, Phillip was looking around at everything and said, "You know, it was easy for me to throw money at things, but I realize now it was never going to make me worthy of being a Power Ranger." Keeper was behind him and said, "Your great courage and sacrifice in the face of danger allowed the Gray Energem to see the real you." Shelby stepped forward and said, "So do you still have to go back to Zandar? Even though you are a Ranger now?" Phillip looked at her and said, "I do have my duty as a prince to attend to my kingdom's needs. But that doesn't mean that I have to be there 100% of the time to attend to them. Luckily, we do have an embassy in this city that I can stay at. I can create a cover story to my government saying that I am helping the museum build its collection and oversee the Zandar exhibit for a couple months. If there is an emergency, Keeper has told me that he can help me travel back and forth to Zandar if the need arises. I may have princely duties, but I also have Ranger duties as well and I see that the world is much more at stake right now than Zandar. Think of it as a solider lending his aide to a country in need. So for now, I am here to stay." The group smiled with Koda saying, "Welcome to team." Phillip smiled and said, "However, there is one question that I still need answered." He turned and looked at Zac and said, "Why does Ivan call you, "Your Highness?" And I would like the truth this time. I did see past your little white lie earlier." Zac sighed and said, "Well…" As Zac was starting to go into a long explanation, Koda grabbed a beaker full of water and dumped it on Zac's head like he did before with Ivan. "Koda! Why this again?" Zac shouted. Koda smiled and said, "Best show than tell. I did bring bench to sit on." Zac sighed and sat down on the bench just before his transformation took hold and he turned into a merman before Phillip's eyes. The human prince looked at Zac in wonder and said, "But how is this possible? Merpeople are just part of fairytales. They really exist?" Zac looked down at his tail and said, "We exist. Even I thought this was weird at first. Basically long story short, I was born a merman, but my mom, a powerful mermaid, feared for my safety since mermaids and merman really don't get along that much for centuries and turned me human to protect me where I grew up with adoptive human parents, who do not know my secret. Meanwhile she took my twin sister, Mimmi, who I did not meet until a year ago, was sent to hide with another mermaid pod. But about two years ago, I accidentally fell into an enchanted moon pool that lifted my mother's spell and my merman side was restored. Later I found my sister through chance and then we found our long lost mother who then told us that we were secret royals that could reunite the mermaids and merman, ending centuries of torment and bring peace to the seas. Zac took some deep breaths to calm himself from the explanation as Phillip said, "So you are a true prince. That is why Ivan calls you that?" Ivan stepped forward and said, "I recognized his royal aura when I first saw him, Sire. It was very similar to your own but different because of his heritage. With respect I call him by his title, like I do you.:" Phillip nodded and said, "This must also be why you did not like how I acted when we first met. You feared that my actions looked down on other princes like yourself." Zac nodded and said, "I also do not want to be like that. I am still a little hesitant about this whole royal thing, but Keeper has been teaching me the truth about my heritage and how I can make my decisions in the future." He dried himself with his powers and stood up. Phillip thought for a second and said, "Maybe I could help with these tutoring sessions. We may not be of the same species, but you are a prince just as much as I am. Maybe it will help you with your future." Zac thought for a moment and then said, "All right. That may help me in some ways." Phillip smiled and said, "Well, I am looking forward to working with all of you." The Rangers nodded and Chase added, "Just try not to build more robots to fight with us, OK?" Everyone laughed as Zac thought, "Phillip is not as snobby as I thought he would be. Maybe him showing me the nice side about being a prince might help me. I just hope this does not turn into Prince School. I already have enough summer school homework thanks to Ms. Morgan. But if this will help me with my future decision of choosing if I embrace my destiny, then I could use it. I am feeling more need of embracing my merman side, but these friendships are helping me retain my human side too. I know that having another Ranger will help the ongoing fights coming ahead."


	16. Chapter 16: No Matter How You Slice It

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **I am so sorry readers! Five months is too long to post the next chapter! I have been working on this chapter in pieces over these last five months but things come up in life. Quitting one job and starting another job. And I am in the process of buying a house. But are these things good excuses for taking forever to post the next chapter? No, so I apologize. I thank everyone who has waited so patiently and to those who favorited this story. Enjoy.**

Chapter 16: No Matter How You Slice It

Up on Sledge's ship, Poisandra and Curio were playing around taunting the prisoners. Poisandra grabbed the keys and said, "I love to play with keys! Are these what you want, you pack of pathetic prisoners? Sorry!" She threw the keys at Curio who said, "Just got to reach!" taunting the prisoners through the bars. Poisandra laughed and said, "You knnow, there's only one thing more fun than teasing monsters. And that's teasing monsters with my best friend. That's you, Curio!" As the pair were giggling to themselves, Shearfear, one of the monsters in a nearby cell, overheard them and said, "Best friends, eh? I better take a closer look." He used his special glasses and saw a white line connecting the pair showing their friendship. He chuckled and said, "With one little snip, these friends will fast become foes." He reached his shears through the bars and snipped the white line of friendship, causing Poisandra and Curio to stop giggling. Poisandra pushed Curio away and they both said, "I don't ever want to see you ever again!" Shearfear laughed but then Sledge grabbed him through the bars and said, "What did you just do to my bride to be?" Shearfear gulped with fear and said, "I cut their bond of friendship. But I can fix it." Wrench opened the cell and pulled Shearfear out as Sledge said, "You will fix it. But first you'll cut the Rangers' bonds and pit them against one another. Do it! Or I'll turn your arms into a pair of nail clippers." Shearfear gulped and said, "Yes, sir. Off I go! Snippety snip."

At the museum, Zac and Phillip were in an office that was converted to a small classroom for Zac's summer school courses and Phillip was trying to teach Zac about princely duties. "As a prince, you have to understand the people. It is your task to govern them to benefit your country…" As Phillip was droning on, Zac was struggling to stay awake. Sure he was grateful for Phillip's help in this regard, but Phillip could sometimes drone on and on about every minor detail which Zac found boring. He was just about to nod off when Phillip slammed his hand on Zac's desk, jolting him awake. "Am I boring you, Zac?" Zac shook his head, but Phillip was good at seeing past Zac's lies. Zac sighed and said, "Look, Phillip I appreciate what you are teaching, but you tend to drone on about small things that I am having a hard time understanding why they are important." Phillip thought for a moment then said, "I understand your point, but sometimes it is the small things that matter the most. For example, if you don't understand that the bond between you and your people isn't strong, then that could break and lead to an uprising." Zac sighed and said, "I guess you are right at that point. But why couldn't we take a break and go with the others on the dig?" "Because we need this time for your lessons," Phillip answered. "Besides, princes do not dirty themselves digging for fossils. That is what employees are for," Zac chuckled and said, "But as you just said, if we don't strength the bond of your people, in this case our friends, then it will break." Phillip sighed and said, "You have a point there. Perhaps next time we could join them. Since they should be returning soon. But right now, we should finish this up and work on that surprise." Zac eye's widened remembering the surprise for later that day. "Then let's hurry and finish this up," Zac said.

Up at the dig site, the group were packing up their gear while Riley was listening to his voicemail hoping to have some, but he didn't. Koda saw his distress and said, "I sense something wrong." Riley sighed as he put his phone away and said, I was just hoping my mom would've called. She's never forgotten my birthday before." Koda realized what Riley was saying and said, "Today your birthday! I'll…" Riley shushed him and said, "It's OK if they don't remember. They have much bigger things on their minds and it's fine." "Koda! Riley!" The boys looked over and saw Chase holding a giant piece of cardboard above his head and said, "Time for some fun, Kiwi style!" Koda looked back at Riley and said, "OK, I not tell anyone. No worry. I think your family will remember."

Back at the ranger lab, Kendall, Zac, and Phillip were setting up for Riley's surprise party for later that night. Zac smiled and said, "I hope this will be a big surprise for Riley." Kendall nodded and said, "I am sure that he will be quite surprised." Phillip sighed and said, "True, but why didn't we use the catering that I suggested. I am sure that they could make this the biggest and best birthday he has ever had." Zac looked at Phillip and said, "No offense, Phillip, but Riley likes things more low key and a big birthday bash is not his style." Kendall looked at Zac and said, "Zac, you have to call the prince "Your Highness" or "Prince Phillip". It is offensive." Phillip laughed and said, "It's OK, Ms. Morgan. Since Zac and myself are of the same rank, we can call each other by our regular name. Plus, I see that Zac has a fair point." As they were talking, the alarm went off, warning them about a monster in the nearby area. Kendall looked at the monitor and said, "There seems to be a monster heading toward some dunes just outside the city. That's where the others are still at." Zac nodded and said, "It must be heading there to attack the others." Phillip nodded as well and said, "Can you contact them and warn them?" Kendall tried to communicate to them, but they did not answer. She sighed and said, "They must not have their communicators on them." Phillip nodded and said, "Then Zac and I will head out there and help them with this menace." Zac sighed and said, "Let's go." and both boys ran out of the lab and to where the other Rangers and the monster were.

Up at the dunes, the other Rangers finished their work and had cardboard boxes for sledding down the dunes. "I expected something a touch less vertical," Ivan said. Chase admired the scene and said, "Very nice. Just like home." He handed out some sleds as Riley said, "That's one big sand dune." "Perhaps a bit too big, no?" Ivan replied. "Anyone? Too big?" Tyler slapped Ivan on the back and said, "Come on! It'll be a blast." Shelby turned on her video camera and everyone charged and sledded down the dune. At the bottom, Tyler cheered and said, "That was awesome." "That was pretty fun, I guess," Riley said. "I hope you got that on video," Chase said to Shelby. She felt around for her phone, but it wasn't in her pocket. "My phone," she said. "It must've slipped out of my hand. Over here maybe." "Let's help the lady look," Ivan said.

However, Shearfear was hiding in a nearby bush looking at the group with his specs. "I smell friendship," he said. "With one little snip, these friends will fast become foes." He snuck up behind them and started snipping their friendship bonds. It had an immediate effect as Chase stood up and said, "You're better off without a phone. You waste too much time on that thing." Ivan scoffed and said, "You, sir Chase, are the master of wasting time." Tyler chimed in and said, "I have better things to do. I'm out of here." "Hey!" Shelby said, "What about my phone?" "You lost it, you find it," Tyler replied, pushing Chase. "Thanks a lot!" Shelby yelled. And pointing to Koda and Riley she said, "Yeah, and you guys are no help either." "We looking hard," Koda said, but then he noticed Shearfear sneaking up behind them and said, "Look out!" as he shielded Riley and kicked Shearfear back. "Guys!" Riley and Koda looked up and saw Zac and Phillip running toward the pair and all four boys got in a fighting position. "We saw back at base that there was some monster activity near you guys and we ran to help," Zac said. "It seems we found the problem," Phillip said. "Now we can finish this beast." "Oh, you spotted me," Shearfear said. "Better snip that in the back." He charged the four boys and the fighting began. Riley looked at Chase and said, "Chase! Help us!" He just scoffed and said, " You deal with it. Not my problem." He walked away as Shelby said, "Someone owes me a new phone. I'm out of here." Riley just stood inn shock as Koda, Zac, and Phillip continued to fight the monster. "Four down, four to go," Shearfear said. "When I'm done, you won't have a friend in the world." He then summoned Vivix down to fight the boys. "We destroy you ourselves," Koda said as he charged to fight the Vivix. As he and the others were distracted, Shearfear crept behind him to cut his friendship bond and said, "Your turn, caveman." But when he cut the bond, it didn't work and his shears broke. "What?" he yelled. "It broke my scissors. Impossible." He ran in the other direction and Riley yelled to the others, "He's getting away!" Soon the Vivix disappeared as Koda said, "That all of them." Phillip joined the other three and asked, "So what happened to the others? Why are they acting like they don't care?" Riley looked at him and said, "Somehow that monster made them forget that we're friends." Zac noticed Shelby's pink phone on the ground and picked it up looking and seeing that it was still in video recording mode. "Maybe Shelby's phone recorded how that monster did this," he said. Everyone nodded and Riley said, "Come on. We got to go find the others."

Back at the museum, the Rangers were working in the cafe, but the affected Rangers were busy arguing with each other. Zac and Phillip were watching as Tyler and Shelby were arguing about whether they should make cake or cupcakes, Chase walking over and taking the baking mix, and Ivan coming over to dump that mix on Chase's head. Zac sighed and said, "We need to fix this fast." Phillip nodded and said, "I agree. This is just painful to watch. Soon an uprising may start and then we will all be in trouble." Zac looked and him and said, "We were just lucky that not everyone was affected. I dread to think what would of happened if that monster cut my bonds." "What do you mean, Zac?" Phillip asked. Zac sighed and said, "My bonds with my family and friends are the biggest reason why I haven't fully embraced my merman heritage. I would have to leave this life behind to become royalty. And I am afraid that if that monster cut those, I would go full merman and just brush past everyone and join my biological mother and sister to my new undersea home. Plus, I worry that I would use my powers to hurt you guys. That is why we need to find this monster and destroy him before he affects anyone else." Phillip put his hand on Zac's shoulder and said, "I understand your fears, Zac. I too am afraid of what that monster might down to us. But I also understand why embracing your royal destiny is frightful. Like I have been trying to teach you, a royal is there to help and protect the people. Even those who they love and respect. Sure I am there to help benefit my people, but I also know that I have to help those I love and respect. Just because you have to fulfill the responsibilities of a royal doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice everything you care for, contradicting to what many believe." Zac looked at him and said, "What do you mean by that?" Phillip smiled and said, "When I started to take up more responsibilities from my father for governing Zandar, I felt that my normal life would be over and all of my focus had to be for Zandar, sacrificing my happiness. But my father said that if I don't keep and treasure those things that I care for, then I will just be a mindless figurehead. Having those little things that matter make us human. Yes, listening to and helping your people is a top priority, but also listening and helping yourself as well as those close to you are just as important. You don't need to sacrifice that completely to embrace your royal destiny." Zac thought about that for a moment. Can he still keep his normal human life to an extent while also embracing his royal destiny with Mimmi? Maybe he can. He then looked back at Phillip and said, "Thanks, Phillip. I will take that to heart."

Just then, Kendall walking in and saw what the affected Rangers were doing and said, "What is going on?" Riley and Koda were with her and Riley said, "See, I told you. They can't stand each other." Kendall stared each of the affected Rangers down and said, "Get cleaned up and go to the base, now." They reluctantly agreed and walked right out of the kitchen. Zac gulped and said, "Remind me to stay on your good side, Ms. Morgan."

Down in their base, the four affected Rangers were sitting at a table while everyone was standing looking at them. Riley walked over and said, "Guys, don't you see that monster even said when he's done, we wouldn't have a friend in the world." Kendall sighed and said, "Somehow he's broken your friendships. He's trying to split you all up." "And it working," Koda added. Chase scoffed and said, "That monster had nothing to do with it." "Yeah," Shelby added. "Some friendships just aren't meant to last." "How can you say that?" Phillip asked. "Can't you see that this break of friendship happened too suddenly. It was that monster." Shelby scoffed and said, "Not true." Koda stepped forward and said, "I don't believe you. We build strong friendships, all of us." "Koda is right," Zac added. "I saw that when I first arrived here. You were all friends and you accepted me into your group, despite my differences." Tyler scoffed and said, "Yeah right, fishy freak." Kendall, Riley, Koda, and Phillip stood in shock by Tyler's comment. They look at Zac who was in shock, but then developed a small smirk on his face to everyone's shock. He leaned forward and his eyes glowed a dangerous blue and said, "Do you really want to test me, Tyler? Because I can go full merman on you right now if you want me to. I dare you." Tyler gulped and leaned back in his seat. Zac chuckled and said, "I thought so." Riley grabbed a laptop and said, "Ok. Well, maybe we just need a reminder of what good friends we are." He pulled up Shelby's video from her phone and the group watched it, with Keeper coming out to see what was happening. Unfortunately the video did not work and Chase stood up and said, "Keeper, I wish you all the luck in the world, but give my Energem to someone who can stand this bunch. I'm on the first bus out of here." "You read my mind!" Tyler said as he, Ivan, and Shelby walked with Chase to the exit. But then the doors suddenly closed and locked. The four turned around and saw Zac with his hand raised toward them. "You four are not going anywhere until this is fixed." Ivan scoffed and said, "What are you going to do? Tie us up?" Zac smiled and said, "Good idea." He then summoned all of the water in the lab to his side with one hand, and used his other hand to use the wind to gather the four up so that they were placed back at their seats but their backs were to each other. Then Zac used the water as a rope and had it tie the four together and then froze it into ice, trapping the four. They tried to break out of the ice, but it wouldn't budge. Zac walked over to them and said, "While we figure out how to get you guys back to normal, you four can use this time to talk things out. Try all you like to break free, but this ice will only break at my command. Have fun." He walked back toward the others and Kendall said, "Remind me not to be on your bad side, Zac." Phillip smiled and said, "Very impressive, Zac. But was that truly necessary?" Zac looked at him and said, "If they leave before we fix this, that could spell disaster. So I felt that keeping them here might be the best idea for now. Besides, sometimes people need to communicate their problems or else an uprising may start." Phillip smirked and said, "So you have been paying attention to my lessons. Good job." Keeper walked up and said, "We may need to move quickly. Their broken friendships have caused their energies to be thrown out of balance. Soon the bonds to their Energems will break. And they will seize to be Rangers."

He pointed to the Energems and everyone saw that the red, black, pink, and gold Energems were starting to flux and die down. Koda walked over and said, "Energems sick." Riley sat down and pulled out his phone to check his voicemail and it said that there were no new messages. He sighed and said, "Worst birthday ever." He noticed the video was still playing and saw that Shearfear tried to cut Koda's bond but the scissors broke. "Guys, come here." The group walked over but the tied up Rangers tried to use this to stand up and break free but Zac saw this and froze their feet into place. Chase cried in shock and said, "What gives?" Zac smirked and said, "You guys need to stay put like I said. If you don't, I'll just create more ice to further trap you guys. You don't want to be completely frozen like Koda was for 10,000 years like Koda was, do you?" "Yes, not fun," Koda added, remembering his time as a frozen caveman. This shut the trapped Rangers up and they sat back down. Zac smirked and said, "Good choice." Riley pointed to the video and said, "Koda, his scissors broke when he tried to cut your friendship bond." Keeper put his hand on Koda's shoulder and said, "Your loyalty to your friends was too strong to be cut." Koda looked at everyone and said, "You are not just friend. You are family." Kendall smiled then said, "If only I could get a piece of his scissors I could reverse the effect." Riley thought for a moment and said, "Guys. I have an idea."

Up on Sledge's ship, Wrench was fixing Shearfear's scissors in his workshop. "There." he said. "All fixed. The Blue Ranger's friendship ends are too strong. Don't try to cut them or your scissors will break again." "Don't worry," Shearfear said. "Once I snip the Green, Aqua, and Gray Rangers, the last one will be all alone. An easy picking." Suddenly, Sledge stormed in and said, "Shearfear, the Energems are nearly mine. Don't mess this up or I'll snip you! Now get out of here!" Shearfear shook with fear and said, "Yes, sir." and headed to a pod ship to go back to Earth. Sledge turned to Wrench and Curio and said, "You two go with him. See that he doesn't mess this up." Wrench nodded and said, "Yes, master Sledge." He ran to another pod ship with Curio behind him who said, "Wait for me!"

At a park near the museum, Koda and Riley were sitting on a bench and Koda said, "Sorry about birthday, Riley." Riley sighed and said, "Thanks, Koda. But right now, i'm just worried about getting our friends back. At least I still have you." Shearfear snuck up behind them and said, "Now to cut the Green Ranger's bonds." He reached out with his scissors, but they broke again. "What?" Shearfear yelled. "How did that happen?" Koda and Riley stood up and turned around, and Shearfear saw that Koda and Riley were dressed as each other to trick him. "Huh?" Shearfear said. "You tricked me!" "We're just getting started," Riley said. "Zac, Prince Phillip, now!" Suddenly, Zac and Phillip came out from behind a tree and attacked Shearfear while Riley went for the broken piece of the scissors. He threw the piece to Koda who ran to a nearby van yelling, "I got the piece of scissors." Zac and Phillip kicked Shearfear back and Zac yelled, "Awesome!" with Phillip adding, "Let's go." Everyone ran into the van and drove back to the museum. Shearfear started to run after them yelling, "Get back here. That doesn't belong to you." but it was too late as the van disappeared. Wrench ran up behind him and said, "I told you not to snip the Blue Ranger." "They fooled me!" Shearfear retorted. "Come on," Wrench said. "We have to stop them or Sledge will crush us into scrap metal."

Out on the road, Riley was driving the van back to the museum and said, "Is it going to work, Kendall?" "It's Miss Morgan," Kendall retorted. "And I really, really hope so." Riley pulled up to the back of the museum and everyone got out running into the base with Kendall running and connecting the piece of scissors up to wires with Riley saying, "Koda, how are the Energems? We don't have much time." Koda looked over at the Energems and said, "Oh, no! Energems getting dark." Zac ran over to Kendall and said, "I don't mean to be picky, but we need to hurry up." Phillip looked over at the still tied up Rangers continuing to struggle against the ice and their bickering was getting worse. Kendall said, "These new Dino Chargers should reverse the scissors' effect." She pulled out the four new Dino Chargers and said, "They're ready." Koda, Riley, Zac, and Phillip each grabbed one and pulled out their Dino Morphers. They put the new Dino Chargers in their morphers and pointed them at the tied up Rangers, each of them looking terrified at what might happen. The four boys yelled, 'Dino Morpher Blast!" and fired at the other Rangers, with the effect immediate of restoring their broken friendship bonds. Tyler shook his head and said, "What happened?" "And why are we tied up by ice?" Shelby added as she looked down at the ice trapping her with Tyler, Chase, and Ivan. "Oh, sorry," Zac said. "That was my doing. Here." He raised his hand to the ice and melted it back to water, freeing the Rangers. Koda looked at the Energems and said, "Look. They glow again." Phillip nodded and said, "It worked! We made it just in time." The Energems rushed over to their bearers who quickly put them back on as necklaces. "Why did we treat each other like that?" Chase asked. "It was monster's fault," Koda said. "That monster's scissors broke your friendship bonds when we were at the dunes," Riley said. "So we got a piece of those scissors to help restore what was lost," Phillip said. "And I had to tie you guys up because you were about to leave and go your separate ways. Sorry," Zac said. "But we need to stop monster now," Koda added. Kendall was over at the computer and said, "Hurry. There are at the edge of the park." Everyone nodded and ran out of the base.

They ran all the way to the edge of the park near some buildings where they saw the monsters and stopped. Shearfear pulled down his spectacles and said, "They're not fighting each other. Impossible! Their snipped bonds are fixed." Riley spoke up and said, "You don't mess with the Rangers' friendships. It's morphing time." They all pulled out their Dino Chargers and morphed into Power Rangers.

Shearfear laughed at them as Riley stepped forward and said, "Let me finish the scissory one." "Fine by us," Zac said as the group charged at the monsters. As the others fought off Wrench and Curio, Riley attacked Shearfear and said, "Let me be blunt. You aren't the sharpest tool in the shed." Suddenly Vivix appeared and charged at the others Rangers and Phillip said, "Guys, we have incoming creatures." Zac nodded and said, "Then let's take them out." Ivan attacked them and said, "I do wish these Vivix were more of a challenge." Koda was trying to fight off Curio who said, "You can't hurt me, I'm made of pillows." Koda grunted and said, "Now by fighting you, putting me to sleep." who then threw Curio over his back hard. Shelby and Tyler were fighting off Wrench who said, "Hey, why are you ganging up on me?" "Because we get a kick out of it," Shelby said as she and Tyler kicked Wrench backwards. Riley used his sword to slice Shearfear who scoffed and said, "You call that a blade? I'll show you a blade." and he pulled out several blades and fired them at Riley, who sliced through each one and said, "It's clear-cut. You're no match for my Dino Saber." Riley charged at Shearfear who said, "You'll never stop these blades," and aimed several blades from underneath the ground at Riley. Ivan saw what was happening and said. "Sir Riley needs our help." Chase ran up and said, "I've got just the thing," and pulled out his Dino Charger and activated Dino Steel. He pulled out his Para Chopper and destroyed the blades along with Ivan. "Thanks, guys," Riley said. Ivan nodded and said, "'Tis nothing. Just what friends do." Chase also nodded and said, "I'll go help the others, first Para Chopper last!" and fired his weapon at Shearfear who was knocked to the ground.

Tyler and Koda were fighting Wrench and Koda said, "This make nice change from fighting pillow monster." Shelby was fighting Curio and she said, "But Curio is so soft to kick." and she kicked him backwards. Zac and Phillip used their Dino Chargers and blasted the rest of the Vivix away. "Man, that was intense." Phillip nodded and said, "Another army down." Ivan gave Riley one of his Ptera Chargers and said, "We shall finish Shearfear together." They both loaded their swords and destroyed Shearfear who yelled, "Hey! Cut me some slack," and then blew up. "Good job, Riley!" Tyler yelled as the other Rangers came up to him. "Couldn't have done it without our friends," Riley replied. Wrench summoned more Vivix to rise and they combined to become a giant monster. "Another army?" Phillip asked. "Looks like we need reinforcements," Riley said. "Call Dino Charge Megazord," Koda said.

Tyler, Koda, and Shelby summoned their Zords who then combined into the Megazord. 5 Rangers jumped into the cockpit and charged at Shearfear, but two Vivizords jumped out of nowhere and grabbed each arm of the Megazord. "A second Vivizord?" Tyler yelled. "We can't move." As Shearfear was about to blast the Megazord, a lightning blast knocked him backwards and the Ptera Lord flew to them with Ivan saying, "Indeed. No fear, my friends." "We've got your backs," Zac said. "Now let's get in there and help them out," Phillip said." They activated the Ptera Charge Megazord and joined the battle. They charged at Shearfear who stopped them and said, "You're trying to cut in?" Ivan said, "This beast is stronger than I thought." Riley looked at Chase and said, "I know who can help." Chase nodded and said, "Good idea." They summoned their Zords who broke the Megazord free and then combined with the Ptera Charge Megazord. Riley and Chase joined their cockpit with Zac saying, "Glad to see you guys." "Now let's finish this!" Phillip said. Tyler said, "We'll take care of the Vivizords. You guys finish Shearfear!" "No problem," Riley said. Tyler, Koda, and Shelby activated their final strike and destroyed the two Vivizords. And Chase, Riley, Ivan, Zac, and Phillip activated their fireball finish and destroyed Shearfear. All the Rangers yelled, "Monster extinct!"

Up on Sledge's ship, Poisandra ran to Curio and said, "Sorry, Curio, I'll never be mean again." Curio replied, "Me either. Except to prisoners." Poisandra giggled and said, "Yeah! Let's get the keys." As they ran off, Sledge threw Wrench down the corridor as Wrench said, "It was Shearfear. I told him not to cut the Blue Ranger, but they fooled him." Sledge growled and said, "And you fooled me, for the last time." He was about to blast Wrench, but Fury knocked Wrench aside and said, "Master Sledge, I think I've located the Purple Energem." "What?" Sledge yelled. He looked at Wrench and said, "I'll deal with you later," and walked off with Fury while Wrench sighed with relief.

Down at the museum, Riley and Zac were closing up the cafe and Riley pulled out his phone to check if his family called him but no new messages. Zac saw the sad look in his eyes and asked, "You OK?" Riley shook his head and said, "I don't get it. Why hasn't my family called? I would think that they would remember my birthday." Zac put his arm around Riley's shoulder and said, "I'm sure they remember and will call very soon. Come on. Let's go join the others at the base." They both walked in the lab doors and noticed the lights were out. "How do you turn the lights on in here?" Riley asked. Suddenly the lights came on and everyone yelled, "Happy Birthday!" "What?" Riley said. He looked over at Zac who said, "Surprise. Happy Birthday Riley." The other Rangers ran over to Riley who said, "I thought you guys forgot." Chase put his arm around Riley's shoulder and said, "See. That is how surprise parties work." Shelby nodded and said, "It's not we've forgotten, but actually we've been planning for weeks." Koda nodded and said, "They tell me to keep party secret. I sorry." Phillip added in, "I wanted to play something bigger for you…Ow!" as Zac jabbed him in the ribs and said, "What Phillip is trying to say is that we wanted to plan the best birthday for you, the way you would like it." Riley smiled and said, "Oh, this is amazing! You guys are the best friends ever." He then sighed and said, "I just wish my family could be here too." Phillip stepped forward and said, "Well since I couldn't contribute the way I thought would be best, I thought this would suffice." He pulled out a remote and a monitor came out with a video from his family wishing him Happy Birthday. Phillip added, "I sent them a high tech camera to record their birthday wishes to you." Riley smiled and said, "Thank you. That meant a lot." Keeper came up and said, "Even when you are far away from your family, you are always in their hearts." Tyler put his arm around Riley's shoulder and said, "And how could anyone ever forget about you?"

Riley sat down and started to cut up his birthday cake as Zac walked up to Phillip and said, "That was really nice what you did for Riley." Phillip nodded and said, "I thought this might be a nice present for him. But changing the subject, are you ready to continue our lessons?" Zac nodded and said, "Like I said, I will take what you said earlier to heart. I will strongly consider embracing my destiny without having to sacrifice what I hold most dear." Keeper came up to them and said, "That is good to hear, Zac. Maybe Phillip and I can combine our lessons to help you toward that goal." Zac groaned and said, "Great, more schoolwork. But I can see that it will be good for me."

Down on the Golden Coast, Nerissa was standing on the beach looking out at the ocean and said, "Where are you, my son? Time is running short. Soon I will have no choice but to speed things along whether you like it or not…"


	17. Chapter 17: World Famous(In New Zealand)

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Almost three months since the last chapter. As you are about to read, this chapter is long and took a long time to write. I felt that it was time to bring Mimmi more into things with Zac and the Rangers and I had to think about the best way to do that. Hopefully you all will enjoy the next chapter.**

Chapter 17: World Famous (In New Zealand)

Down in the lab, Zac was in another lesson with Keeper and Phillip joined him today as he wanted to help Zac continue his education about being a royal as well as combine with Keeper's teachings, plus Phillip himself was curious about undersea life. Zac tried hard to stay awake as he woke up several times the previous nights with visions from Mimmi. He knew that Mimmi was doing a bit better now they they occasionally video chatted along with Cam and Evie, but with his powers growing stronger, their connection was as well. Phillip noticed this and said, "Zac? Are you feeling OK this morning? You are looking "zoned out" as our friends call it." Keeper added, "Yes, I can also see that your focus is lacking." Zac rubbed his eyes and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to lose focus. I didn't sleep very much last night. More visions. Of Mimmi." "You sister right?" Phillip asked. Zac nodded as Keeper said, "As we have discussed before, as your power has been growing exponentially due to the Energem, it must be affecting your sister too because of your connection. I find that very interesting." "Why is that?" Zac asked. Keeper thought for a moment, then said, "Well, normally when someone bonds to an Energem, that power is to that one person. But because you have a twin that you are already connected to in power, the Energem must sense that and must also be growing her powers as well. Though if it is to the same extent as yours I don't know." Zac sighed and said, "I think the same. My powers have grown a lot since bonding with the Energem and coming here. And I have been noticing that my connection with her has been getting stronger. Now I can sense exactly where she is, what she is doing, and what she is thinking. Worse, through that I know that my birth mother is starting to get nervous about my whereabouts." "What do you mean by that?" Phillip asked. "Well," Zac said. "One of the visions showed me a conversation between Mimmi and Nerissa. My birth mother tried getting information about my whereabouts from Mimmi, but since my sister does not know where I am, I am safe. But I could feel my sister's uneasiness about the situation. I know that she wants to in part go home with our mother, but she also feels my sadness and fear of loss of my human life and does not want me upset either. So she is basically stuck in the middle of this situation. And I feel horrible for putting her through that." Keeper walked forward and said, "I understand your point. Do you feel that if you told Mimmi where you are, Nerissa could use that to her advantage?" "Absolutely," Zac answered. "Nerissa could get desperate and try to drag me back to the sea. And I don't want anyone getting hurt because of it." Phillip put his arm around Zac's shoulder and said, "Well, everyone here is behind your decision Zac. We will protect you. And if we need to, we will protect Mimmi and everyone else that needs it." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks." Keeper looked at the clock and said, "I think that is enough for today. Why don't you two go up and see what the others are doing." Both boys nodded and walked up to the museum.

Up at the cafe, Ms. Morgan was sitting at a table with Riley when Shelby came up and said, "I'm scheduled to work seven days in a row! I need a break." Kendall sighed and said, "And you will get a break, on day eight." Shelby sighed and said, "Well, why does Zac get more breaks than me?" Riley stepped in and said, "One, he is under the age of 18 and can't work as many hours as us. And two, he is having lessons of different sorts during his off hours so he is just as busy as you." Shelby sighed and said, "I get it." "You get what?" Shelby turned around and saw Zac and Phillip walking up with the other Rangers minus Chase and Shelby looked embarrassed and said, "You heard that, didn't you Zac?" "A bit," Zac said, "But I get it. You need a break. Everyone does." Suddenly, Chase came skating in on his skateboard and said, "Guys, someone took a photo of a UFO." He slammed down a newspaper with the photo in question and said, "Look familiar?" Koda pointed to the UFO in the picture and said, "Hey! That is Sledge's transport pod." Riley picked up the newspaper and read it saying, "Photo taken by Albert Smith." Tyler took the newspaper for himself and read, "Albert gives Bigfoot Tours? Coot." Phillip stared at Tyler and said, "Out of the evidence we were given, that is what you get out of it? Americans" Zac laughed and said, "Relax Phillip. Tyler just likes stuff like that." Phillip mumbled "Fair point," as Kendall grabbed the newspaper and said, "We need to check this out right away." Chase smiled and grabbed the newspaper back and said, "Albert lives in New Zealand, my home country." "And very close to my home country," Zac added. Shelby laughed and grabbed the work schedule from Ms. Morgan and said, "Change the work schedule, Ms. Morgan. We're heading down under." Everyone cheered but Zac said, "Um, how are we going to afford plane tickets down there? International flights are not cheap. Trust me I know." Everyone stopped and sighed but Phillip stepped forward and said, "Well, luckily one of us has a private plane to goes anywhere that person wants. That person being me. Just tell me when we want to leave and I will make the arrangements." Everyone cheered again with Zac sighing and thinking, "Show off."

Up on Sledge's ship, the new monster, Meteor, was stepping out of the pod in question when Sledge came up to him and asked, "You completed your mission already?" "Not yet," Meteor answered. "I just came back for dinner. I'm hungry." Sledge growled and said, "Keep searching, Meteor, or you've already had your last meal!" He pushed Meteor back into the pod and told a Vivix, "Send him back to Earth." who the launched the pod back to the planet below.

At Zac's apartment, he was busy packing when he heard his video chat go off. He paused his packing to answer it, seeing Cam and Evie at the other end. "Hey, guys." Zac said. "Bro!" Cam said. "How's it hanging?" Evie looked over at Cam and said, "That's the greeting you came up with? Anyway, why are you packing Zac? Are you coming home?" Zac sighed and said, "Not quite." Before Zac told them where, he asked, "Mimmi isn't here with you guys?" His friends shook their heads with Evie saying, "I think she is out in the ocean with Ordina." Zac nodded and said, "We are heading to New Zealand on a lead, and not an archeological lead if you know what I mean." Cam and Evie nodded knowing it was related to his Ranger duties, but Evie asked, "Do you want Mimmi to know that?" Zac shook his head no and said, "It's too risky. I have been getting visions from her about Nerissa. My birth mother is trying to pry info from her about my location and as long as Mimmi does not know where I am, the better for all of us. I fear what would happen not just to me, but Mimmi, you guys, my family, everybody if Nerissa found out. She seemed to be a little on edge." Cam gulped and said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. Fly safe, buddy."

The Rangers boarded Phillip's private plane and were in Auckland, New Zealand in no time. Everyone breathed in the fresh air as they loaded into a van and drove around as Ivan said, "I propose we take a wonder around Auckland before we locate this Alfred character." The van pulled up to the marina and everyone jumped out, with Chase taking point and said, "OK, so here, we have the Sky Tower. It has a restaurant on the top that rotates all the way around from which you can see all of Auckland." Zac sighed as he took in the view and thought, "Auckland sure seems to have many great sights" lowering his guard for just a moment. (He would later learn that lowering his guard for that one moment will have consequences for him later.) Shelby took a photo and said, "Oh, let's go. We need to catch the ferry." Zac turned around shocked and said, "Did you say ferry? As in we are going on a boat?" "Yeah," Shelby answered. Then she suddenly realized why Zac was shocked and said, "Oh I'm sorry I forgot about…" Tyler quickly covered her mouth before she could say anything else as there were strangers around them. Phillip walked up to Zac and said, "Don't worry. You can be on the inside part away from the water so it won't touch you. I can join you if you want. I need to keep out of the sunlight anyway. Too bright." Zac laughed and said, "Thanks."

Mimmi was lounging in the Mako moon pool with Ordina. She enjoyed spending time with her to help her ease her mind. Suddenly she received a vision, which was odd because she hasn't received a vision from Zac since before he left to wherever he went. She saw a giant tower and Zac saying, "Auckland sure seems to have many great sights." as well as Zac being surrounded by young people she did not recognize. She shook herself out of the vision with Ordina looking at her concerned saying, "Mimmi? What's wrong?" Mimmi smiled and said, "I think I saw where Zac is! I need to find Cam and Evie now!" Before Ordina could answer, Mimmi dove and swam all the way to the cafe, drying herself off quickly and running into the cafe, finding Cam and Evie sitting at a table and Mimmi said, "Where is this Auckland?" Evie looked at her and said, "What are you talking about?" Mimmi answered, "Auckland, where it has this giant tower surrounded by buildings and water…." "Oh you mean in New Zealand?" Cam asked. Evie smacked Cam in the back of the head muttering, "Nice going, Cam." before Cam realized that he just gave away Zac's location. Mimmi stared at them and said, "I saw that Zac is there. I don't know why you two have decided not to tell me this, but I am going there to see Zac myself, whether you like it or not." She ran out of the cafe to the pier and jumped into the water, swimming as fast as she could to Auckland. Cam and Evie ran after her, but they were too late. Evie pulled out her phone to call Zac, but it went straight to voicemail. "Dang it, I cannot get a hold of him," Evie said. "I hope you feel proud of yourself, Cam." Not noticed by either of them was Nerissa, who thought to herself, "So Mimmi has found out where my son is. I should follow her." She dove in the water and swam after her.

Zac and Phillip were sitting on the inside part of the ferry while the other Rangers were enjoying the sunshine and breeze of the ocean. Suddenly Zac felt pain in his head with Phillip looking worried and asked, "Are you OK, Zac?" Zac shook his head and said, "Sorry, head started to hurt. Maybe it's a warning. About Sledge perhaps? Or something else?" Phillip nodded and said, "We should keep our eyes open then for anything." They both nodded. Out with the others, Chase was on his phone talking to his mom saying, "Yeah, I love you, Mom." He hung up with Riley saying, "I wish we were in the South Islands so we could see your family." Chase nodded and said, "Well, luckily I'm going home for Christmas." Shelby suddenly pushed past them saying, "Look, dolphins!" Everyone gathered to the side of the boat with Ivan asking, "What are dolphins?" Then they could see three dolphins swimming alongside the boat jumping out of the water occasionally and the group cheered. Shelby yelled, "Zac, Prince Phillip, you two should come see this." Zac shook his head and said, "That's OK. I swim with them all the time. Trust me, I know all about them." Phillip joined in and said, "And I have seen some at my vacation home plenty, so I am also fine." Zac looked at Phillip and said, "You don't have to say that just to keep me company." Phillip shook his head and said, "It was truthful. Plus, that headache of yours worries me. Like I said, we need to keep our eyes open. Even if the others consider this a vacation." "We go swim!" Zac and Phillip look over to see Koda trying to jump into the water and the others holding him back from jumping off. They laughed with Zac adding, "I do not want to have to dive in to rescue him."

Later they arrived at the Bigfoot Tours where they were told Albert would be. "Is this the right place?" Shelby asked. "We're really out in the boonies." Chase turned to her and said, "Well here, we call it the wop wops." Zac added, "Boonies is more of an Australian word, Shelby." "Boonies is differently the better term for this place," Phillip added looking around. They all got out of the car with Tyler calling, "Hello? Is anybody here?" "Good day," Ivan said. "Anyone?" Chase looked down at a sign that said Bigfoot Tours and said, "Yep, this is the place." Shelby looked over and saw some meat hanging in a tree, picked up a stick and said, "Hey guys, check this out." They all walked over with Ivan saying, "Now why would anyone hang something like that up there?" Zac sensed something was wrong and looked up, seeing that it was a trap. Phillip saw the same thing and both boys backed away with Zac saying, "Shelby you might not want to…" but Shelby poked the meat with the stick and activated the trap, lowering a net on the other six rangers with Zac finishing, "touch that." Phillip smirked and said, "Classic bait trap. Use it all the time with hunting back home." Suddenly an old man jumped out and yelled, "Gotcha!" at the Rangers, scaring them. The man relaxed and said, "Thought you were a Bigfoot." Riley also relaxed and said, "Oh, you must be Albert Smith." Albert poofed out his chest and said, "That's me. World famous in New Zealand." He helped the six out of the net and said, "Come. Let me show you some of my collection." The Rangers look at each other before following Albert and sitting down while Albert showed off some of his collection saying, "Horn of a unicorn. Footprint of a Bigfoot. And I wrestled a giant squid once. He got my eye, but I got his leg." Zac chuckled at that. He knew that squids could not get that big, having seen several himself from his undersea travels. Tyler picked up the squid leg saying, "Wow. A giant squid leg. Ah." Ivan cleared his throat and said, "Uh, please, uh, good sir, if you could just tell us more about this photo?" Albert looked at the photo and said, "So you guys are UFO hunters." Phillip was about to retort but Zac elbowed him inn the ribs when Albert continued, "I've seen it five times all over the city. Here's the proof." He showed them more photos of the same ship. "Excuse me a moment. When I come back, I'll tell you how this giant dragon's egg and some scales from a mermaid." Zac paled at that looking at the scales that Albert put down next to the so called dragon egg. While he examined the scales, Shelby looked at the photos and said, "They're definitely transport pods." Chase nodded and added, "Um, guys, Albert seems a little cuckoo." "I definitely agree to that," Phillip said. "Really?" Riley asked. "Just a little?" "Maybe not," Zac said with everyone looking at him like he had three heads. "These other stuff may not be real, especially that said leg, but these are genuine mermaid scales. Either he did see a mermaid and got some of her scales or just went exploring and found some on the ocean floor." Riley took over and said, "Whatever the case, come on, let's find out exactly where he took the photos and get out of here." Tyler looked over and saw Albert working on a police scanner and commented, "Cool. A police scanner." Albert nodded and said, "I like to know what's happening around town." Tyler looked at the Bigfoot print in his hands and said, "You know, my dad took me Bigfoot hunting once." Albert looked at him and said, "How many did you catch?" "None," Tyler answered. "But I did catch a cold. Still, it was a great adventure." Albert retorted, "Well, that's what life should be, don't you think? One great adventure." He then went over to the others and told them where he took the photos. Everyone nodded their thanks and walked back to the car with Albert saying, "Good luck finding those UFOs." "Thanks for your help, Albert," Tyler answered back. "We'll check out those locations you gave us," Riley added. They drove off waving their goodbyes to Albert.

Over at the marina, the Rangers had a map out on a table, circling the locations that Albert gave them. Shelby pointed to them and said, "These are the five different places where Albert took photos." "Ok," Riley said. "It seems like Sledge is looking for something." "But what?" Koda asked. "Maybe it could be another Energem," Phillip suggested. Zac nodded then added, "If that's the case, then we should…" "Zac?" a voice called out. Zac paled, knowing whose voice that was, with the other Rangers looking at him curiously. They all turned to find the owner of the voice to be a young girl with long brown hair, looking straight at Zac. Zac said, "Mimmi?" The other Rangers looked at Zac shocked, knowing that Mimmi was the name of his sister. Mimmi smiled and ran up Zac and hugged him saying, "I can't believe I found you. I have missed you a lot." Zac stood in shock for a second before returning the hug. He was happy to see her, but not in these circumstances. He pulled away and said, "I missed you too. But what are you doing here? How did you know that I was here? In New Zealand?" Mimmi smiled and said, "I saw a vision from you looking at a tower saying that this place has many great sights. And I may have tricked Cam into giving away your location." Zac sighed and said, "Figures. That guy can never keep a secret for long. But back to my question, why are you here?" Mimmi frowned and said, "Zac, I know that you told me to stay strong and that you needed some time to figure out some things, but it's been hard with you away. I miss the connection that we have and our mother has been…" "I know," Zac stopped her. "I have seen your conversations with her. I know she is getting restless." Mimmi looked at him shocked and said, "How?" Zac smiled and said, "I have been having some visions of my own. My powers have been getting stronger since I have been away. Have they been growing for you too?" Mimmi nodded and said, "Yes. I have been feeling stronger than I have in years. But why…." "Excuse me." Both siblings turned to see Chase has stepped forward and intruded on their conversation and said, "Zac, aren't you going to introduce me to this hot chick?" Ivan came up and smacked Chase on the back of the head with Chase yelling, "Dude. What the heck?" "You never interrupt a conversation like that and you never talk like that to a lady," Ivan retorted and then kneeled to Mimmi. "Apologies. My friend did not mean to harass you in such a manner." Zac sighed and said, "Mimmi, these are my friends that I met through the summer program I am doing. The rude one is Chase…" "Hey!" Chase retorted. "And the kneeling one is Ivan. Please Ivan you don't always have to kneel." "You know why I do," Ivan smirked but keeping his mouth shut about knowing about Zac and Mimmi's royal heritage as not to startle her. Zac continued with saying, "And back here we have Tyler, Shelby, Riley, Koda," who smiled and said, "Hi," which made Mimmi smile back. Zac finished with saying, "And this is Phillip, prince of Zandar," giving the royal his deserved treatment. Phillip stepped forward, grabbed Mimmi's hand, kissed the back of it, and said, "Very honored to meet you, my lady." Mimmi blushed and muttered, "Thank you." Zac turned to the Rangers and said, "Guys, this is Mimmi, my sister." "Hello, everyone," Mimmi said. She turned back to Zac and said, "So this is where you have been all this time?" Zac shook his head and said, "Not quite. We are here on a…" He had to think of a quick answer but was falling up short, but Shelby stepped in and said, "An expedition. See we work at a dinosaur museum in California and we heard about some fossils in this area. So our boss sent us here to see them." Zac looked at Shelby and mouthed, "Thank you," before turning back to Mimmi and said, "Yes. This is just a sport we are visiting temporarily. California is much farther away from here where we work for the summer." Mimmi nodded and said, "That must be why I couldn't sense you until you came here. New Zealand is closer to Australia than California." Zac nodded but Mimmi continued, "But you were actually closer to our undersea home than you thought. The kingdom our mother wants to return us to is close to there. Have you thought more about if you want to come home with us?" Zac shuttered and said, "I have, but…"

Suddenly they heard a woman behind them yelling, "Hey! He took my bike!" The group turned around and saw a man had clipped the chain off of someone's bike and was riding off with it. Koda ran up to the woman and said, "We stop him," and started running after the bike thief. The other Rangers started to follow him, Zac turned to look at Mimmi and said, "Hold that thought. I will be right back. Stay here." And he ran after the other Rangers. Mimmi huffed and said, "No way am I letting you leave me alone again." She ran after him, noting that somehow he and his new friends were running pretty fast for humans their age.

They ran and ran for a long time, catching up to the bike thief bit by bit. They were turning through a tight corner when they heard a crash. They stopped and stared at the sight in front of them, looking at each other in shock. "I can't believe it," Shelby said. In front of them was the thief on the ground being tied up by his wrists, by the Purple Ranger. By this point, Mimmi, out of breath, caught up to the Rangers and hid behind the corner and saw the scene in front of her. She stared in shock and thought, "What is that? Some armored thing?" The unknown Ranger stood up, humming to himself, when he turned around and saw the other Rangers staring at him. He stepped back in shock when Ivan said, "The Purple Ranger." "So that's why Sledge has been searching New Zealand," Chase said. "He wants Purple Energem," Koda added. Mimmi got confused and thought, "What is an Energem?" Suddenly the Purple Ranger ran away with Tyler yelling, "Hey, hold it!" The others ran after him, with Mimmi secretly behind them, putting up her invisibility in case they now noticed her. The unknown Ranger jumped over the railing, with the other Rangers dong the same thing and Koda yelling, "Hey! Come back!" Mimmi came to the railing and thought, "How in the world did they jump off this thing like that?" She ran the long way around and ran to catch up.

The Purple Ranger ran to a stop near the marina catching his breath, thinking he outran the other Rangers, but then he turned around and saw Meteor walking towards him saying, "Oh, I finally found you! Now give me the Purple Energem!" The other Rangers stopped nearby seeing the monster advance towards the Purple Ranger. They all nodded to each other as Mimmi came around the corner, lifting her invisibility and seeing the Rangers stop. "What are they doing?" She heard a laugh nearby, turned and saw the monster at the edge of the marina. "What is that thing?!" Mimmi thought. 'It's morphin' time!" She turned to see Zac and the others pull out weird objects in their hands, maneuver around, and fire the object into the air. Suddenly giant dinosaur heads came down and merged with each of the Rangers. Mimmi was about to call out for her brother, but they see saw them transform into the Power Rangers, even though she did not know they were called that. "Zac?" Mimmi thought shockingly.

The Purple Ranger was trying to back away from the monster because he was terrified. Meteor just laughed and said, "Have it your way. Vivix, destroy him. Go." He summoned Vivix and sent them towards the Purple Ranger. "Not if we can help it!" A voice called out from behind the unknown Ranger. Suddenly the other Rangers jumped out from behind him and started fighting back the Vivix. Meteor laughed and said, "Get me all nine Energems!" The Purple Ranger tried fighting back, but clearly did not have the fighting skill. Ivan came to his rescue and said, "Fear not, my violet friend. Summonn Ptera Saber!" He summoned his weapon and destroyed the Vivix. The Purple Ranger stumbled back as the others fought off the Vivix. "Did you guys leave your fighting skills back at Amber Beach?" Tyler asked. "I don't know, Tyler," Chase said. "I think these creeps have always been this weak." Koda lined up some Vivix and said, "Why kick one Vivix when I can kick six?" and proceeded to kick all six down. "Don't get too cocky, guys," Zac retorted. "I agree. Never underestimate your opponent," Phillip added. "Then let's finish this," Tyler said and the Rangers pulled out their Dino Blasters (Ivan still had his Saber) and fired a Dino Morpher Blast at the Vivix, destroying them. Meteor used the smoke from the blast to disappear, yelling, "Nice try, Rangers,". The group ran up with Shelby saying, "Hey. Where did he go?" Suddenly they heard an engine rev up and saw the pod fly away with Riley grunting and saying, "Man, he's escaped." They all demorphed as Koda added, "Monster got away." They turned around and didn't see the Purple Ranger anywhere. "Hey, where's Purple go?" Tyler asked. Zac used his enhanced eyesight and found Purple hiding near a bench. "There he is," Zac said pointing to Purple's location. "Likely he's never seen a monster before," Ivan said. "Indeed," Philip said. "Poor thing was terrified the whole fight."

They all walked up to Purple's location and Purple said, "I'm so sorry." Chase smiled and said, "Don't worry. We're on your side, mate." Purple got up and said, "Wait a second. I know you." He demorphed to reveal he was Albert, the man who took the UFO photos. "Albert?" Shelby asked. "Surprise?" Albert chuckled. "Excellent!" Tyler shouted, putting his arm around Albert. "You're a Power Ranger?" Riley asked. "Is that what they call it when I change?" Albert asked. 'A Power Ranger?" "Yes," Zac said. "And what's this?" Albert pulled out the Purple Energem from his pocket, which was glowing. "Tis an Energem," Ivan answered. "It holds powers beyond your imagination," Phillip added. "The UFOs you've been seeing belong to those monsters," Riley said. "They want to steal that Energem and use it for evil." Albery chuckled and said, "I just wanted to do good deeds for the town." "Well," Tyler said. "Now you could do good deeds for the world!" "Sounds like a grand adventure," Albert said, even though he looked nervous.

Zac could tell, but before he could reassure him, he heard, "Zac?" Everyone turned around and saw Mimmi standing there in horror of what she has seen. "Oh, crap," Zac thought. Mimmi glared at him and said, "So, this is your choice. You sided yourself with these humans instead of your own kind?" "Is she an alien?" Albert whispered to Tyler. Tyler looked at him weird and whispered back, "Not exactly." Zac stepped forward and said, "Mimmi, it's not what you think…" "What am I suppose to think?!" Mimmi yelled, startling Zac and the others. "You disappeared from the Golden Coast saying that you need some time to think about who you are and what your destiny is. I respected and understood that, hoping that you would see that your place is with me and mom, embracing our royal destiny. Then I don't hear from you for weeks, finding out that you talk regularly to Cam and Evie, but not your own twin? Did you not trust me with anything?" She was advancing on Zac who was backing up to the marina trying to calm her down saying, "I wanted to protect you Mimmi. Nerissa could have used you to get to me and dragged me to the undersea home she wants us to desperately go to…" "I can handle myself!" Mimmi retorted. "I am stronger than you think. But no. I had to keep playing middle between you and Mom. Do you understand how that made me feel? I thought that even though I went through all of that, you would choose me. If you wanted to stay on the Golden Coast with your adopted family, I would understand. I would be heartbroken, but I would understand. But I finally find you after not seeing you in person for weeks and you have made some new human friends and become this Power Ranger as they called it and fighting who knows what those things are." The other Rangers flinched at every word Mimmi made. Chase noticed they were heading straight for the edge of the marina and tried to warn them by saying, "Uh, guys…" "Mimmi, if you would just let me explain…" "What is there to explain?" Mimmi yelled back. By this point Zac's legs hit the edge of the marina and tried to stop Mimmi but she yelled, "You are unbelievable Zac. You hurt me Zac. Right here!" She shoved Zac right in the chest where his heart was, causing him to fall back over the edge and into the water. His foot caught Mimmi's leg and she tumbled down with him. They both landed in the water with the Rangers running over to them and Riley calling, "Zac! Mimmi! Are you guys OK?" Both siblings came up to the surface, now transformed into their fishy selves as Albert's eyes widened and said, "Oh my! Real mermaids. Right in front of my eye." Tyler put his hand over Albert's mouth so that he wouldn't get anyone's attention on the matter. Ivan yelled down, "Your Highnesses. Are you both well?" Mimmi looked up and saw the Rangers staring down at them, then looking at Zac and said, "They know? You let humans know our secret?" Zac huffed and said, "They figured out I was hiding something. They are very observant for humans their age. Well, Ivan knew from being a knight himself, along with Phillip, but.." "Not the point!" Mimmi yelled back. "I need to swim this off." She was about to dive under and swim away, but Zac raised his hand and made some marina pier come over near them, blocking her way out. Mimmi looked in shock and said, "Zac? How did you…" "The power gain I mentioned. You are not leaving until you hear me out. Right before I left, I swam to the Moon Pool at Mako Island, trying to clear my head from all of the drama with Nerissa. I found this dinosaur fossil embedded in the walls of the cove. After digging at it, I found this light blue gem hanging out of it. I pulled it out and kept it. But then I saved a boy's life and then it glowed and bonded with me. Through some research I found out it might have been related to what is happening at Amber Beach with the Power Rangers. So through a summer school program, I came to America to learn more about my gem, called an Energem, and to let myself think about my future away from all of the drama. Once there I learned that it was connected to the Power Rangers and Keeper, their guardian. I became one of them when I saw that this planet is in danger, thanks to those creatures you saw. I felt that my destiny was to help everybody, not just our own kind. Keeper found out first, and he knew that I was a merman. He has been helping me learn about our heritage and Phillip has been helping me embrace my royalty. So no, I am not turning back from our destiny. I am helping those who need our help, like a prince should. This won't last forever. One day the fight will be over and I will embrace who I am, who we are and go with you home. There will need to be some compromises made so that I can balance our undersea life with my human one, but I am not abandoning you. You're my sister. I would never doing that." Mimmi's eyes teared up and she said, "You choose your birthright? Really?" Zac thought about it for a moment. He originally just wanted to appease Mimmi to calm her down, but the more he thought about it, he realized that thanks to Keeper and Phillip, as well as what he has learned from being a Ranger, he shouldn't run from his destiny but accept it as who he is and what needs to be done. He smiled and said, "Yes, I do. This is honestly the first time I am admitting It. But I will warn you. I am not ready to fully embrace it yet. My mission here with the Rangers is my top priority right now. The Energem chose me and and I want to help them. Then when this is all over, we can first go back to the Golden Coast and work some things out, then we can head to this undersea kingdom that is our true home." Mimmi swam over and hugged her brother. Suddenly they heard someone clearing their throat. The twins looked up and saw the other Rangers still there looking down at them with Chase saying, "This is touching and all, but should we get back to what we were doing here?" This time, Shelby whacked him on the back of his head and said, "Chase! You ruined their happy moment." Zac laughed and said, "It's OK. We were wrapping it up anyway. We should get out of the water and dry ourselves up." The Rangers chuckled with Albert saying, "Can they be part of my Bigfoot Tours?" Riley looked at Albert and shook his head no, disappointing Albert.

Up on Sledge's ship, Wrench was working one a machine which was reanimating monsters that the Rangers defeated. "Yes!" Wrench yelled. "My reanimation machine worked. It brought Iceage and Stingrage back to life!" "Good," Sledge said as he walked up to the reanimated monsters. "After Meteor's failures I know I can't trust this mission to a new monster. So I'm giving you both one more chance to get me the Energems, or I'll destroy you again myself." He stormed off with all three monsters looking afraid.

Back at Albert's place, the Rangers have set up a training ground. Mimmi was sitting at a table looking at the group curiously, since she didn't know what a training ground was. Tyler looked at Albert and said, "We know fighting monsters can be scary, but we'll make sure you're ready, Albert. Don't you worry." All of the Rangers lined up with Mimmi in the background looking at them as Chase set up his timer and said to the group, "All right, and go!" His watch beeped and the Rangers started running through the obstacle course they set up, with Tyler looking back seeing that Albert was still standing at the starting line leaning on a post. He said, "Hey, something wrong? Just do the best you can. It's OK if you can't keep up." Albert laughed and said, "Can't keep up? Me? I'm just giving you a head start." He then raced past Tyler and climbed the rope ladder quicker than the other Rangers with Shelby commenting, "Don't overdo it, Albert." He jumped off the rope ladder and ran past the other Rangers running on the ground saying, "Keep up, slowpokes." He made it to the finish line way before the other 8 Rangers and looked back to see the others making their way to the finish line with Ivan saying, "I beg you. No more running." "I second that," Phillip added almost passed out on the ground. Zac laughed having finished second looking at Phillip on the ground saying, "Maybe you just aren't in as much shape as you thought you are," He smiled and helped Phillip off the ground with Phillip retorting, "And you are?" Zac chuckled and said, "Perks of being a merman." He turned around and walked to the table and sat next to Mimmi who said, "We don't have as much stamina as you think, Zac. This could be part of that Energem that you told me about." Zac looked down and pulled out his Energem from under his shirt and Mimmi took it in her hands and said, "I have never seen anything like this. And I never knew that Mako Island had something like this on it. Do you think…" "No," Zac answered immediately, knowing what his sister was thinking thanks to their connection becoming stronger again now that they were near each other again. "I don't think this Energem helped create Mako. Maybe it was the other way around; Mako was partly created to help protect this Energem, somehow knowing the power it possesses." Albert sat next to them and asked, "So know that I definitely know that mermaids exist, do you two have any other proof of other creatures existing?" Mimmi laughed and said, "Not really. We are only part of the sea. So whatever fantastical creatures that might live on land we have no idea about." Zac remembered the scales he saw earlier and said, "But those scales you have that you said were from a mermaid. Where did you find those?" Mimmi gasped and said, "He has mermaid scales?" Albert smiled and said, "I thought the name Golden Coast sounded familiar. I was on a vacation there and went scuba diving in a coral reef nearby. I found the scales there. They looked shiner than any other fish scales I have collected in the past, so I immediately jumped to mermaids." "Any you didn't try to sell them or anything?" Mimmi asked. "Never!" Albert answered. "These are too valuable to sell, like everything I have. Plus, no one would really believe me anyway, unless they were a bit crazy like myself."

Mimmi and Zac laughed as the other Rangers recovered from their run and came over to the group with Tyler saying, "He is definitely ready." "He's a beast," Chase said as the Rangers sat down exhausted. Tyler looked at Albert and said, "So Albert, how did you bond to your Energem?" Albert sighed and said, "About a year ago, our town was hit with a freak snowstorm. My friends were hiking in the mountains and their sweet little girl, Cindy, got lost. I was the only one with a chance of finding her. I know the mountains like the back of my hand. As I was starting to pull her down and bring her with me, I noticed a glow behind one of the rocks. I dug a little snow off and found this purple Energem. As soon as I grabbed hold of it, its glow brightened and the stone bonded with me. Suddenly, I could turn into a Ranger. I got myself that police scanner and soon enough, I was stopping thieves and pulling cats out of trees, doing all kinds of good things. Folks count on me. Kind of a local hero, you know?" The group laughed with Tyler saying, "We know how you feel." Mimmi looked and Zac and asked, "Is that true? You like feeling like a hero?" Zac nodded and said, "Yeah I do. Like I said, I feel liked I have been called to find the Energem on Mako, like it was waiting for me. Plus, being a Power Ranger is helping me see the bigger picture. I said it before, I want to embrace my destiny with you, but the whole world needs me, not just below surface." Mimmi laughed as the Rangers' communicators went off. They all pulled them out and Riley read out, "Alien bio signs. Downtown Auckland." "Those monsters don't know when to quit, do they?" Phillip said. The group started running to where the bio signs were with Mimmi saying, "I'm coming with you guys." Zac looked at her and said, "Mimmi…" "No, Zac." Mimmi interrupted. "I just found you again. I am not letting you out of my sight. I will find a spot to hide invisibly so that the monsters won't know I'm there. Plus, like I said, I can handle myself in a fight." Zac nodded and said, "Fine. But don't think about using your powers. I never do in any of these fights. I don't want our enemy knowing what I am." Mimmi nodded and Tyler looked at Albert and said, "Time to show them what the Purple Ranger is really made of." Albert chuckled but also looked nervous as Tyler said that.

Meanwhile, Meteor, Stingrage, and Iceage were attacking downtown Auckland. "Time for a cold snap," Iceage yelled as he froze several citizens. "Have some meteorites, too," Meteor shouted as he fired at multiple buildings destroying them. People were running wild trying to get away from the monsters as their carnage continued. "We're gonna wipe you all out." As the three monsters continued their destruction, suddenly they heard a voice yell, "Not so fast!" and laser blasts made the three monsters jump backwards. They looked up and saw 9 Power Rangers glaring them down with Chase, Riley, and Shelby holding their Dino Chargers as proof that they were the ones to fire at the monsters. "There's three of them," Albert commented. "Three times the freeze!" Iceage yelled. "Three times the sting!" Stingrage shouted. "Three times the heat!" Meteor shouted. "And three times the puns, too," Zac commented. "Sledge must be desperate," Tyler said. "Well, there are more of us than them, luckily," Phillip commented. "We outnumber them three to one." "Let's use that to our advantage," Zac added. He closed his eyes to contact Mimmi and thought, "Mimmi, are you in your hiding spot." "Yes," Mimmi thought back. "Just please be careful, Zac." "I will, don't worry," Zac thought. "I have plenty of backup with the other Rangers." He ended the connection as Koda turned to Albert and said, "Follow what we do." They all got into position and Tyler yelled, "It's Morphin' Time! Dino Chargers!" "Ready!" Everyone but Albert yelled. He added a meek "Ready." later. Soon they were all morphed into Power Rangers and they all, minus Albert charged into the fight. Tyler noticed this and said, "Albert, are you OK?" "No, I'm not," Albert replied. Tyler ran back to him as the others were busy. Zac kicked Meteor backwards and noticed Tyler running back to Albert. He looked over at Phillip and Ivan and said, "Can you two handle this guy for a minute while I go see what's up with Tyler and Albert?" Ivan nodded and said, "With pleasure, Your Highness." Phillip also nodded and said, "We can take care of this nonsense." Zac nodded and ran back to Tyler and Albert.

Tyler said to Albert, "Oh Albert. What's wrong?" "I'm so sorry," Albert said. "But I've never fought monsters before." "Never?" Zac asked. Before Albert could reply, a swarm of Vivix charged at them and Tyler said, "Here they come." and Zac saying, "Great. What perfect timing." Albert was shaking behind the boys and said, "I want to fight them, but I'm too afraid." "We'll protect you," Tyler said as he and Zac ran to fight off the Vivix. Albert went to hide around the corner, right where Mimmi was hiding invisibly. "Ow!" Mimmi said as she lifted her invisibility. "You stepped on my foot." "Sorry, Mimmi," Albert apologized as he turned around and watched Tyler and Zac fight the Vivix. Chase and Koda fought off Iceage as Shelby and Riley fought off Stingrage. Tyler and Zac ran over to Albert, who demorphed, and Mimmi with Tyler saying, "There you are. Why didn't you tell us you were scared?" "It's easy to catch a bike thief," Albert said. "Or a purse snatcher, but those monsters, they want to destroy me." "You can get past your fear," Zac said. "Like when you wrestled that giant squid," Tyler said. "I never wrestled a giant squid," Albert revealed. "Knew it," Zac thought. "Zac!" Mimmi scolded to his mind. "Not the time!" "And I never fought a Bigfoot," Albert cried. "I'm a fraud. Everything about me is fake. Even this eyepatch. I'm nothing but a coward." "No way," Tyler said. "The Energem doesn't make mistakes." "You saved that little girl, right?" Zac asked. Albert nodded as Zac continued, "Then you're no coward. It's OK to be afraid. Like how I am afraid of facing my destiny." He turned to face Mimmi and continued, "That's another reason why I went off to Amber Beach. Yes I wanted to think for myself, but I was also scared. I was afraid that I was going to be ripped away from the only life I have ever known. I may have been born a merman, but I grew up as a human. And up until two years ago, that's all I knew. Did you feel the same way when you first came up to the surface world?" Mimmi nodded and said, "Yes, I did." "That's how I feel about this," Zac said. "Like I said, I will come with you when I am ready. I want to face my fears about my destiny at the right time." He turned back to Albert and said, "You can face your fears when you are ready too." "Stay here," Tyler said to Albert and Mimmi as he and Zac ran back into the fight. The group of Rangers knocked the three monsters back with Phillip saying, "It's over, monsters. "Meteor stared them down and said, "I'll stop them by bouncing a meteor ball." "Not so fast," Riley shouted as he ran up and took the meteor ball that Meteor was about to throw at the Rangers. "You're not launching anything," Riley yelled as he and the other Rangers threw the meteor ball around the monsters at the other Rangers like a game of monkey in the middle. Ivan caught it and said to Phillip, "Prince Phillip, perhaps unpack one of your power punches?" "Sounds grand," Phillip said. "I'll launch it right back at them. Pachy Punch!" He power punched the meteor ball right back at the monsters causing an explosion. And it caused all three monsters to fall to the ground, weak.

Up on Sledge's ship, he was watching the fight and was not happy. "Wrench!" he yelled for the monster in question. Wrench advanced in fear as Sledge continued, "Those two monsters you brought back were worthless. Let's see what a big meteor can do. Magna beam!" A Vivix hit the Magna beam button, shouting it to the Earth below.

The Magna Beam hit Meteor causing him to grow giant size. The Rangers saw this and Chase said, "We need the Dino Charge Megazord." Shelby looked around and said, "Wait, where's Albert?" "I'll take care of it," Tyler said. "Can you handle Meteor?" "Of course, Sir Tyler," Ivan answered. "We can handle no problem," Phillip added. "I'll help you out, Tyler," Zac said stepping forward. He turned to Chase and said, "Here, take one of my Dino Chargers in case you need to summon my Zord." Chase nodded and took the Charger as Tyler, Koda and Shelby summoned the Dino Charge Megazord. Chase, Koda, Riley, Shelby, Ivan, and Phillip activated their Dino Drive and jumped into the Megazord. "Come on, guys," Chase said. "Let's do this." Meteor laughed and said, "Time for a meteor shower." He summoned said meteor shower causing the Dino Megazord to stumble a bit.

Tyler and Zac ran all the way back to where Albert and Mimmi were hiding and Tyler said, "We can't let them get your Energem." "It's time that you got out of here," Zac said. "You too, Mimmi." "But…" Mimmi started. "No buts, Mimmi," Zac interrupted. "We need to go, now." Mimmi nodded and Zac helped her up as Tyler helped Albert up. They started to run away as a blast of ice hit Tyler demorphing him and encasing his leg in ice, courtesy of Iceage as he and Stingrage walked up to the group. Zac instinctively threw his hand up to hold the ice back, surprising the monsters with Iceage saying, "What's this? A Ranger with hidden powers? Well, let's just turn down the heat." The monster put more power into the ice blast and Zac strained against it. "I can't hold this back for much longer," Mimmi stepped in and raised her hand, holding back the blast as well. "Then I'll help," she said. Iceage growled and said, "What's this? More humans with hidden powers? Fine then. I'll just cause a major ice blast." He put even more power into the attack. Zac and Mimmi grunted but Zac said, "Come on Mimmi. We can do it. Together." Mimmi nodded and the twins focused all of their energy at Iceage and sent the ice blast back at him and Stingrage. It knocked both monsters backwards, but the strain of using all of their energy caused Zac to demorph and fall to the ground weak along with Mimmi. Zac looked over at her and said, "Hopefully that stopped them." Unfortunately both monsters got up and started walking toward them with Stingrage said, "Nice try. Now we can get your Energems." Albert walked over to Tyler and said to him and the twins, "Come with me. I know where to go." He picked Tyler up and helped him walk as Zac and Mimmi got up and helped each other run away with Tyler and Albert. "You won't escape!" Iceage said as he and Stingrage chased after them.

Back with the other Rangers, the constant meteor strikes were damaging the Megazord. Chase had summoned the Ankylo Zord to help as part of the Megazord, but it was not enough. Ivan grunted and said, "If he keeps up this meteor shower, we're done for." "Don't panic," Phillip assured him. "We'll have the Pachy Zord ambush him." "That's a great idea!" Shelby remarked. Phillip summoned the Pachy Zord and it rushed in and smacked Meteor with its tail. "Now that hit the spot!" Riley said. "Indeed," Phillip said. Chase thought for a moment and said, "How about we try something new, eh? What do you say, Prince Phillip?" "Not a bad idea, Chase," Phillip said knowing what Chase was thinking. Everyone nodded as they yelled, "Activated Dino Charge Megazord Ankylo-Pachy Formation!" The Pachy Zord joined the Megazord like the Ankylo Zord had as one of its arms. "I can feel the power of this combination," Riley commented. "Me too!" Koda added. "Very strong." Meteor huffed and said, "Bring one whatever you want, Rangers." The Power Rangers charged and said, "Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball!" and the wrecking ball went for Meteor, who just kept dodging and said, "You have to do better than that." He caught the wrecking ball as the Megazord hit Meteor with the Ankylo Hammer. Then the Megazord did a series of punches and kicks causing Meteor to tumble backwards. "Let's finish this," Chase said. They all charged the Ankylo Hammer and Pachy Wrecking Ball and launched them at Meteor who then blew up. "Monster extinct!" The Rangers yelled.

Back down with Tyler, Zac, Mimmi, and Albert, they were now in the woods with Albert saying, "We're almost there." Suddenly, Stingrage blasted the group and they all fell to the ground in pain. Mimmi looked over at Zac and said, "Don't they ever give up?" Zac shook his head and said, "These guys are really stubborn. Do you have any more energy in your Moon Ring?" Mimmi looked down at it and said, "It's all dried up. What about that Energem you have? Will that help?" "I think it's trying to," Zac answered. "But it needs a little more time before it can help me get my strength back. Then I will be able to share some of it to help you." They all heard laughter as they looked up to see Iceage and Stingrage coming toward them with Stingrage saying, "Did you really think you could escape us?" Tyler looked over at Albert and said, "Albert, go. Run!" Albert thought for a moment and said, "No. Not this time. I need to give you and the twins time to recover." He got up but groaned in pain. Tyler saw this and said, "What are you doing?" "Trust me," Albert answered back as he limped toward Iceage and Stingrage who stopped in their tracks. Stingrage huffed and said, "We're not leaving here without all of your Energems, old man!" Albert sighed and said, "Well, at least give me a fighting chance." He morphed into his Power Ranger armor and said, "Hang on a second. Oh, my back aches!" Both monsters laughed as Albert drew out his sword and said, "I'm coming for you scallywags. Old Al is gonna teach you a lesson." He charged at the monsters swinging his sword around, but then he yelled, "Oh, my back! I may be old, but I'll still give you a whooping!" Iceage laughed and said, "He thinks he can kick our butts!" "The only thing he'll kick is the bucket!" Stingrage retorted. Albert looked up at them and said, "You two need to learn some respect for the elderly. And I'm going to teach you." He suddenly did a roundhouse kick and sent the monsters backwards into his rope trap. "You fools walked right into my trap," Albert said. "That's the last time you underestimate Albert Smith!" He ran back to Tyler and told him, "Hold still." He raised his sword and cut through the ice encasing his leg. Tyler rubbed his leg and said, "Ah! Thanks." He stood up and walked over to Zac and Mimmi. "Are you two OK?" Zac grunted and got up saying, "We're be OK. Holding that monster's attack back took a little toll out of us. But thanks to my Energem, I am recovering." He reached his hand down for Mimmi and she took his hand standing up. Zac gave her some of his Energem energy and said, "This should help, but we would be fully recovered until tomorrow." Mimmi nodded and said, "Plus, my Moon Ring can't be recharged until the next full moon." Tyler looked at Albert and said, "So that's why you took us all the way out here? You tricked them, you sly dog." Albert demorphed and said, "Yep. Finally caught myself a couple of Bigfoots." The group laughed as Tyler said, "Thanks, Albert." "No, thank you," Albert replied. "My boy, you and Zac had me find my courage. And you two also made me realize that I can't be a Power Ranger." Tyler and Zac looked at each other shocked as Mimmi looked confused. Albert then said, "I feel that I can only help people here as me, not as a Power Ranger." Zac looked at him and said, "But you bonded with an Energem. That means…" "A bond that has been made can be willingly severed," A voice called out. Mimmi hugged Zac in fear and asked, "What was that?" The group turned around to see Keeper standing there, having teleported there sensing Albert's choice to not be a Ranger. "If Albert does not want to be a Power Ranger, then the bond between him and the Purple Energem can be broken, because it is his choice to." He turned to Mimmi and said, "Fear not, mermaid princess Mimmi, I am Keeper, guardian of the Energems." He then bowed to her and Mimmi blushed and said, "It's OK. Just call me Mimmi. But you said that this bond between people and their Energems can be broken? Can this be done for Zac?" Keeper nodded and said, "Yes, but it must be Zac's choice. I cannot force the bond to sever if he does not want to." Mimmi looked over at Zac and said, "You want to stay being a Ranger don't you? Until this thing is complete?" Zac nodded and said, "Yes. You know that I don't like being forced to do something against my free will. I want to come with you home, but I feel that I am not ready yet. There is so much I need to know and learn, both from Keeper and my new friends, mainly Phillip since he has been giving me royalty lessons. But my heart is telling me that I was chosen for a reason, to help others against all of this." "I understand," Mimmi said. "Being here with you and seeing what you have been doing has opened my eyes to things I didn't know existed. Maybe there are some things I need to learn too before we head home to embrace the crown." Zac hugged Mimmi and said, "Thanks, sis."

Later that night, all of the Rangers plus Mimmi and Keeper were back at Albert's camp with Tyler saying, "Are you sure about this, Albert? You'd be such a great Ranger." Albert sighed and said, "New Zealand is my home. There's just no way I could leave it. Plenty of other people can be a Ranger, but nobody here can replace me." Keeper stepped forward and said, "Albert is right. His duty as the Purple Ranger was to keep the Energems safe from out enemies, but his work is done now. And that is his choice." He stepped in front of Albert who took out his Energem and said, "I'm ready, Keeper." Keeper nodded and said, "Hold your Energem to the head of my staff. This will unbound you from it." Albert put the Energem to the top of the staff, and it passed through, unbonding him from it. "Thank you, Albert," Keeper said. "You've made us all very proud."

Before Keeper could teleport back to Amber Beach, the group heard a voice say, "Well, isn't this interesting." They all turned around to see a woman step out from behind a tree. Zac's eyes widened and said, "Nerissa?" The group of Rangers looked at Zac with Chase saying, "That's his birth mother?" Zac stepped forward and said, "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Nerissa smiled and said, "Mimmi. She was very desperate to find you, so I follow her as she left the Goldenn Coast." Mimmi, shocked, looked at Zac and said, "Please, Zac. I had no idea that I was followed. You have to believe me." Zac smiled at her and said, "Don't worry. Telepathic connection, remember?" He turned and said, "Why have you come here?" "I have been growing impatient, Zac," Nerissa said circling the group. "Things are growing restless back home. If you two don't come home now, there may be another war on our hands. And I know that your father wouldn't want to, and neither do I. "What's to say that us going there won't start the war because of us?" Zac asked. "I'm not ready to go there yet." "Ah," Nerissa said. "So you finally have decided to embrace your royal destiny. I am so proud of you, my son." "Didn't you hear what I said?" Zac yelled. "I'm not ready. Sure I have made my decision about all of this, but I want to go under my own terms, not yours." "Really?" Nerissa said. "It is because of these humans that you have been helping. Oh yes, I have seen what you did here today. You have become one of these Power Rangers as they so call them. But their problems are not our problems, son. Leave them and come home with me. I know that the bond you have with them can be severed." "Under my choice, Nerissa!" Zac shouted. "That decision cannot be forced onto me. Like you are clearly trying to do." Nerissa sighed and looked at Mimmi and said, "Daughter, come with me. Help Zac understand what needs to be done." Mimmi looked at her mother in horror. Has she become so blinded more than she had been? "Zac's right," Mimmi thought as she took her brother's hand, shocking Nerissa as Mimmi said, "I agree with Zac. Unlike you, I have seen the kind of person he wants to be, not what you want him to be. I also agree that we are not ready to go home. There is still so much that we need to learn about our powers and our destiny. If we go into this blindly then it could lead to disaster." Nerissa glared at the twins and said, "So, you two have decided to not listen. Fine. But I think there is something that might help change your minds."

She raised her hands to the sky and caused the clouds to part, showing that tonight was a full moon. Zac immediately went into a trance like state with Riley saying, "Oh, crap!" Phillip looked at Riley and said, "What's going on?" Riley looked and Phillip and said, "Zac said that the full moon affects him badly. It might make him do things that goes against his free will." Mimmi also became affected and mindlessly walked over to Nerissa who said, "There's a good daughter. Now Zac, time to come home." Zac started to walk toward her but then the Rangers cut him off with Tyler saying, "Zac, don't. This isn't you. This isn't what you want to do. The moon is making you do it." Zac glared at them and said, "No one will get in the way of my destiny." And he threw his hands up at the Rangers and used the wind to blow them backwards onto the ground, with all of them grunting in pain. Zac continued to walk toward Nerissa but Keeper spoke up and said, "Zac, you have to remember. Your choice." "Quiet, creature!" Nerissa yelled as she used her moon ring to push Keeper back toward Albert, knocking both to the ground. Phillip grunted and said, "Yes you have to embrace your destiny. But that doesn't mean you have to do it against your free will. You are not just a prince. You are a hero to everyone who needs you." "Indeed," Ivan added. "You showed me what you and all of us can be capable of, by our own free choice. Don't let your mother take that away from you." Zac stopped after Ivan's words and said, "My choice?" Nerissa growled and said, "No Zac. You are needed home right now. Embrace who you are meant to be. You are a merman, not a human." "Don't listen to her," Shelby said. "You showed me too that everyone has their own choice. It can't be forced onto you." "Get a hold of yourself mate!" Chase shouted. "You stronger than this," Koda added. "You are more than some moon crazed merman," Riley said. "You are both merman and human." Tyler stood up and said, "You belong to both worlds. The undersea world is not the only place that depends on you. Everyone here needs you too. You told us that you didn't want to leave your human life behind. You said that you wanted to make your own choice. On your own terms." Zac looked at him and said, "Tyler?" Nerissa growled again and said, "No! I am not letting some humans take you away from this." She used her moon ring to amplify the moon's effects and Zac grunted in pain but Tyler saw that Zac's eyes became all blue. "You will not stand in my way!" Zac yelled at Tyler. "If that's what it takes," Tyler said as he got ready to fight Zac. Suddenly, Tyler's Energem started to glow along with everyone else's. Keeper lifted his head and said, "The Energems can help Zac. Use their power to help override the moon's control of him." The others nodded and focused their energy at Zac, whose own Energem started to glow and Zac held his head in pain. Nerissa saw this and said, "No. What's happening. Why is my moonn ring not working?" Zac's Energem glowed brightly as the blue glassy look in his eyes one away revealing his normal brown eyes. He looked at the other Rangers and said, "Thanks. I needed that." He moved through them to get to Nerissa and Mimmi. He grabbed Mimmi's hand and said, "Mimmi, break out of this." He gave her some of his Energem energy, breaking her out of the moon's spell. "What?" Mimmi said, looking at Zac. "Are you OK, sis?" Zac asked. Mimmi nodded and she and Zac glared at Nerissa, who was shocked. "How?" Nerissa shouted. Zac smiled and said, "You really don't understand the power of the Energems. As well as the bond of friendship I have with these guys." He raised his hands and used his new telekinetic powers like he used earlier with the pier to wrap Nerrisa up with tree branches to one of the trees nearby. Clouds washed over the moon again and the glow in Nerissa's ring died down. Nerissa struggled but could not break free. She looked at Zac and said, "You betray your people over these humans?" Zac shook his head and said, "No I am not. I am choosing to help them. Now just listen, please. Before I left the Golden Coast, yes, I wanted nothing to do with you and my royal destiny. Then I found my Energem on Mako and it bonded with me after I saved a boy's life. It chose me for the reason of helping others, not just undersea life. So I joined the other Power Rangers because that is what my heart was telling me to do. But thanks to Keeper and Phillip, I have learned more about who I will one day be and I decided to embrace my destiny. That does not mean I will do that right away. Right now this is what I am meant to be doing. Once my mission here is done and Keeper has all of the Energems back and the enemies have been defeated for good, then we can start talking about me going with you to our undersea home. This is my choice, not yours. I am not going to do something against my free will. Let me make that choice. Understand?" Nerissa sighed and said, "I understand. You really do care about these people don't you?" Zac looked at the Rangers, who were smiling at him, then he turned back to Nerissa and said, "Yes, I do. You put me with humans to hide me from your enemies. I guess the job worked a little too well." Nerissa laughed and said, "I guess so. I didn't see what that decision will lead to. But I guess it helped you become the person you are today. And I guess I am grateful of that." Zac smiled and released her from the tree. Nerissa looked at him and said, "I will respect your wishes, Zac. We will go when you are ready." She turned to Mimmi and said, "Do you feel the same?" Mimmi nodded and said, "I want to wait for my brother. I will keep you company on Mako as you are waiting, but I am not going home without him." She turned to Zac and hugged him, saying, "Goodbye, Zac. Hopefully we will see each other soon." Zac hugged her back and said, "Hopefully soon," Nerissa walked away and Mimmi ran to catch up with her.

Albert got up off of the ground and said, "Well, that was a surprise." The group laughed and walked over to Keeper and Albert. Keeper looked at Zac and said, "You have made a big step today Zac. And the Energems have proven that you all have grown into amazing Rangers." He turned and walked away, disappearing in smoke. Albert looked at the group and said, "Well, time to depart I guess." Tyler stepped up, shook his hand, and said, "It's been a pleasure, sir." Albert nodded and said, "Promise me you'll bring your dad here someday. We'll all go Bigfoot hunting." Tyler laughed and said, "I'd love that and I know he would, too." Albert chuckled and said, "Now off you go. You all have got a plane to catch." Tyler walked back to the others with Chase putting his arm around his shoulder, knowing Tyler's pain of missing his dad. They all walked out of the woods with Tyler looking back and seeing Albert putting his eye patch back on and Tyler yelled, "Other eye!" Albert chuckled and put the patch over the other eye and said, "And I've got a town to protect." "Go get 'em, Albert!" Zac shouted. "We'll miss you." Shelby said. They all started walking back to town with Zac stopping the others and said, "Thanks everyone for breaking the moon spell over me. I don't know what I would have done without you guys." Ivan bowed and said, "No worries, Prince Zac. We are here to help." Phillip added, "Besides, you still have work that needs to be done from me." Zac groaned and said, "Don't remind me. I already have too much homework for one summer." The group laughed as they continued walking back to Auckland. Zac looked up at the clouded sky and thought, "When I am ready. Not hopefully when someone else thinks so. Not even you, moon." He smiled and walked with the others back to town, onto the next adventure.


	18. Chapter 18: Deep Down Under

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **What this? New chapter in less than a week? This has not happened in almost two years. Well, 1. I was really excited to do the second part of the New Zealand trip so I just wrote away. And 2. I wanted to try to get back to my getting one chapter a week back like I promised you guys when I started this story almost two years ago. Will that always happen? Maybe, maybe not. I will just have to see because my life is changing constantly. But enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 18: Deep Down Under

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury was walking with Sledge around the ship saying, "Trust me. The Purple Energem bonded to a Ranger, so the Plesio Zord must be awake. Once I find it..;" Sledge turned around and interrupted Fury, "The Ptera Zord was inn your hands, and yet you lost it. I'm not taking any chances. This time we're going to destroy the Rangers' Zord before those teenage twerps can control it!" "I know!" Fury retorted. "That's exactly why I told Wrench to reanimate Meteor. His fire balls are just what we need to destroy the Plesio Zord." They walked into the reanimation lab with Wrench working on the machine. Sledge looked at Wrench and said, "What are we waiting for? Wrench, pull the lever." "Yes, Master Sledge," Wrench answered as he pulled the lever and Meteor was reanimated. "I'm alive!" Meteor shouted. "Meteor at your service, Master." Sledge chuckled and said, "That's what I like to hear. Now, destroy the Plesio Zord." "Yes, sir!" Meteor answered as he walked to a pod to head down to Earth. Sledge called out as Meteor was leaving, "And finish any Ranger that gets in your way!" "My pleasure," Meteor answered back as he stepped into the pod.

Back in New Zealand, the Rangers were contacted by Ms. Morgan near the airport. She told them, "I know you were all set to come back, but it's vital you stay in New Zealand until we find the Plesio Zord." Riley answered back, "We're trying, but even after he bonded with the Energem, Albert never saw the Plesio Zord." Kendall retorted back, "Fact: Albert became the Purple Ranger. Fact: The Plesio Zord must be awake." Tyler answered, "We're about to talk to some scientist named Doctor Runga." Zac added, "Shelby thinks he can tell us where to start looking for the Zord." Kendall looked shocked and said, "Doctor Runga? Really? If anyone knows about Plesiosaurs, it's him. Keep me informed." They ended communications as Chase looked up and pointed to a guy in the distance asking, "Oh, is that the guy?" Shelby squealed and said, "Wow, that's really him. I've only seen him on TV and in books." She started to straighten out the boys' looks, except Phillip who stepped backwards in time to avoid her hands touching him as she continued, "Look guys, Doctor Runga has hundreds of fossil discoveries to his name. We have to be professional." She looked down at Koda's feet and said, "Koda! I thought we agreed you were going to wear shoes today!" Koda retorted, "But shoes squish toes. It very much pain." Phillip stepped back forwards and said, "Shelby, I have met him before through different digs as I was one of many people to help fund them, and I should tell you…" "That he is amazing!" Shelby interrupted. Phillip was about to answer back but Shelby was dragging some of the other Rangers with her hurriedly leaving only Zac back with Phillip. "What were you about to say to her?" Zac asked. "That she should be wary of him," Phillip answered. "He is not as amazing as she said." "How?" Zac asked. "I'll just let you find out for yourself," Phillip answered back. "Princes should learn things for themselves, not just through word of mouth." "If you say so," Zac said as he and Phillip walked to catch up with the others.

The Rangers were walking up as Doctor Runga was sitting on the ground with a dinosaur head saying, "Now, this if for the front cover, right?" The photographer answered, "Uh, just the back cover. Sorry." Doctor Runga sighed and said, "I suppose that'll have to do." He turned around and saw the Rangers standing there watching with Shelby saying, "Hey! Hi!" He turned to the photographer and said, "I'll be right back." He walked up to the group and said, "This is a restricted area. You can't…" But he saw Phillip and said, "Your Highness. What a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here." "Pleasure, Doctor Runga. I am here with some friends as…" "Hi, Doctor Runga!" Shelby interrupted as Phillip looked to her a little shocked. Zac whispered in Phillip's ear, "Someone is definitely a fangirl." Phillip nodded as Shelby continued, "I'm Shelby Watkins. I called you earlier from the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum. In the United States." Doctor Runga answered, "Oh, yes. You're my competition. Siding with my rivals, Your Highness?" Phillip started to say, "Not exactly…" But Shelby interrupted again by saying, "Competition? No! We're huge fans. I've read all your books twice." Doctor Runga did not look impressed and said, "You and three million other people. Now, please, I'm a very busy man. What is it that you want?" Phillip answered, "My friends and I are searching this area for something." "Well, what?" Doctor Runga asked. Riley answered, "Well, to be blunt, if Plesiosaurs were still alive, where would they live?" Doctor Runga then asked, "Let me understand. You're looking for a living dinosaur?" Koda excitedly nodded as Zac said, "Well…" But Doctor Runga interrupted, "Wait, I know what this is. You're hunting for taniwha, aren't you?" "What's a taniwha?" Tyler asked. Chase answered, "Uh, a taniwha is a New Zealand myth, like the Loch Ness Monster." Zac chuckled as even he knew that the Loch Ness Monster was not real, according to Mimmi. She said that it was just a made up myth based on some locals and it was really some mermen swimming around exploring through a underwater tunnel from the ocean. The Northern Pod found out and closed the tunnel so that mermaids and mermen could not be accidentally discovered. It made mermaids hate mermen even more but Mimmi found it hilarious that humans blew the myth way out of proportion. Chase continued, "It's an ancient creature that lurked in oceans and rivers." Doctor Runga interrupted, "Experts, like myself, suspect that if taniwha actually existed, they were really Plesiosaurs." He showed off a Plesiosaur tattoo on his arm with Chase commenting, "Oh, pretty cool, bro." Koda went up at touched the tattoo saying, "That a taniwha?" Doctor Runga shook him off and Ivan said, "It, uh, does rather resemble a Plesiosaur." "So," Shelby said. "Plesiosaurs would have lived where? Did you say?" Doctor Runga answered, "Coastlines, islands, sea caves. Good luck." He chuckled and went back to the photographer saying, "Let's get one of me in the dig." The Rangers started walking away with Tyler saying, "So coastlines, islands, sea caves. That's where we'll look." He turned to the group and said, "Chase and Riley, get on the Dino cycles and look at the beaches to the south. Koda, Ivan, and Prince Phillip, you three should take the Megazord to the skies and look at the nearby islands. Shelby, Zac, and I will look at the beaches and sea coves north of here. Zac, I may need your swimming skills to look underwater." Zac nodded and said, "Fine. At least I will be able to get my swim out of me for a bit." The group nodded and headed off in different directions.

Chase and Riley got on their Dino Cycles and rode up and down several beaches. "No Plesio Zord on Piha Beach," Riley reported. "No taniwha either," Chase replied. Ms. Morgan was back at the Ranger lab in Amber Beach recording all the places they have looked with sighting that people have mentioned. She communicated to the others, "A taniwha has been spotted over 40 times. It can't be a coincidence."

Koda, Ivan, and Phillip were using the Dino Charge Megazord Ptera Formation to fly around to the different islands. Ivan made the Megazord do a quick loop, causing Koda to fall down to the ground groaning, "Tell me before you do that." Ivan chuckled and said, "But that's not as fun." "Or as thrilling," Phillip added. Koda got up and said, "Kendall, we see nothing so far." Kendall reported back, "I'm sending you new search coordinates." Koda nodded as Ivan steered the Megazord to the next location.

Tyler and Shelby were on a beach waiting for Zac to come back. A minute later, Zac popped his head up out of the ocean and yelled, "I looked at all of the sea caves south of this beach. Nothing." Tyler groaned as Shelby reported back to Ms. Morgan, "We're at Takapuna Beach, but there's no sign of…" Suddenly the Purple Energem was glowing in Shelby's hand. "Tyler? Zac?" Shelby said. "Are you guys seeing this?" Tyler pulled out his communicator and said, "Guys, get here fast." Suddenly the three Rangers heard a roar and saw the Plesio Zord rise up out of the water. They laughed with excitement as Shelby recorded it on her phone. Zac called back to Tyler and Shelby, "I'll go see if I can bring it closer to here." He dove under and sped swam to the Plesio Zord who gave another loud roar startling Zac, who said, "Ah, hi Plesio Zord. I'm not here to hurt you. We have something you might be looking for." It roared a few times weakly, like it was trying to communicate to him. "You want something?" Zac asked sensing somewhat what it said thanks to his telepathy and was surprised that he could understand it somewhat. He went up to touch it and it rubbed into his hand, like it appreciated it. On the beach, Tyler was holding up the Energem and said, "I think it wants the Energem."

Suddenly a meteor shower came down onto the ocean water. "Wait," Tyler said. "What's happening?" The meteors were heading right for where the Plesio Zord and Zac were. "The Plesio Zord and Zac are being attacked!" Shelby said. "Zac! Plesio!" Tyler shouted. The Plesio Zord was swimming around trying to avoid the meteors and Zac shouted, "Plesio! You need to get out of here! I'll try to follow you as best as I can." Up on the beach, Tyler and Shelby heard evil laughter behind them and turned to see Fury with Meteor saying, "Destroy the Zord before it can escape!" Meteor fired more meteors at the Plesio Zord, not knowing that he was also firing at Zac. The Plesio Zord dove underwater to avoid the meteors. Zac dove underwater, but a meteor hit too close to him and the impact knocked him out. The Plesio Zord swam away from the attack. Fury growled and said to Meteor, "You missed again!" "Well," Meteor retorted. "It slipped away."

The other Rangers joined them as Riley said, "We came as fast as we could." Shelby turned to the ocean and said, "The Zord was right out there in the water." "Until they showed up," Tyler added looking up at the monsters. Phillip looked around and said, "Wait. Where's Zac?" Shelby looked at Phillip and said, "He was with the Plesio Zord when Meteor attacked them. We don't know…" "Say no more," Phillip interrupted. "I will go out and find Zac and hopefully the Plesio Zord if Zac is still with it somewhere. I think you guys can handle these buffoons." He pulled out his communicator to track Zac and turned and ran back to the Megazord to find Zac's whereabouts while Riley said, "Sledge keeps sending monsters we already defeated. He must be out of ideas." Fury growled and said, "I promise, you'll never get control of that Zord! And once we defeat you, then we will go after the other two Rangers and destroy them along with your precious Plesio Zord!" Shelby huffed and said, "You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep. It's Morphin Time!" She and Tyler morphed into Power Rangers and all the Rangers lined into formation as Meteor said, "You won't defeat me this time! Vivix, fire!" He summoned some Vivix who fired their blasters at the Rangers. "Attack!" Meteor shouted and the Vivix along with Fury charged at the Rangers as the Rangers charged in on them and both groups starting fighting.

Meteor stood back and said, "Time to heat things up with a nice, warm meteor shower."

He fired multiple meteors at the Rangers and Tyler looked up and said, "Oh, no!" He summoned his T-Rex Smasher and smashed all of the meteors away. "Time's up, Meteor." Tyler said as he charged the monster. "Yeah?" Meteor retorted. "Try my Spiral Galaxy Blast! Planetary Destruction!" He fired at Tyler who just smashed it away with his T-Rex Smasher retorting back, "That's all you got?" He jumped into the air and used his T-Rex Smasher to destroy Meteor's blaster. "My blaster!" Meteor cried. "But I have other tricks up my sleeve!"

Ivan and Fury were fighting away from the group and Ivan said, "Fighting away from the group because you fear defeat, scaredy cat." They both used their lightning attacks causing both to stumble backwards and Fury saying, "You won't beat me that easily." "I shall," Ivan retorted. "And you'll cry like a kitten."

Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby ran up to where Tyler and Meteor were with their Dino Armor weapons and Shelby said, "Let's use the Dino Spike to finish him off!" "Great idea!" Tyler yelled as the Rangers combined their weapons into the Dino Spike. They launched it along with Tyler into the air and Tyler threw it at Meteor, who was not destroyed but knocked backwards from the blast. Fury jumped in front of the fallen monster and said, "Fine, I'll protect you." He launched a lightning attack at them, but Ivan jumped in front of the Rangers to block it, but the blast still knocked all Rangers down. Fury turned to Meteor and said, "We need to beat the Rangers to the Plesio Zord." "But how?" Meteor asked. "We have no idea where it's hiding." "Hopefully those other two Rangers don't either," Fury answered. "But I know who can help us. Come on." He and Meteor ran off as the Rangers got up and Tyler said, "Where's they go?" Shelby groaned and said, "They've seen the Plesio Zord." "Oh dear," Ivan said. "If they find it before we do, they could destroy it." "Then we have to beat them to it,' Riley said. "Hopefully Zac followed it after the meteor attack," Chase said.

"Not quite," a voice behind them called. The Rangers turned to see Phillip walking out of the ocean trying to pull an unconscious merman Zac with him. "No!" Koda cried as the Rangers demorphed and ran to the pair at the edge of the water. Phillip demorphed out of exhaustion and said, "I found him near where the meteor attack happened. It does not look like he was hit, but the impact of them must have knocked him unconscious. Luckily due to his merman form, he did not drown. I dove in and have been swimming him back to shore. But that tail of his is heavier than I thought." Koda knelt down next to Zac and shouted, "Zac! Can you hear me?" Zac gave no response and Koda then lifted his fist into the air and pounded it onto Zac's chest, who immediately was revived and coughed up sea water. The others sighed in relief as Koda said, "Caveman revive technique. Always works." Tyler looked at Zac and said, "Zac? Are you OK?" Zac nodded and said, "Those meteors were a little too close for comfort. I tried to follow the Plesio Zord after the attack started, but one of them impacted too close and caught me off guard. I should have sensed it better." "It's not your fault, mate," Chase assured him. Riley asked, "Do you know where the Plesio Zord headed?" Zac shook his head and said, "I wish I did. But it must have taken off after I was knocked out. I have no idea where it went. Sorry guys." Ivan knelt to him and said, "No worries, Your Highness. It was not your doing. We will find it before those monsters do." Zac nodded as he said, "Can you guys help pull me further away from the water? I won't be able to dry myself if I am sitting in the surf." Phillip answered, "Not me. I already dragged you here the best I could do. Your tail weighs a ton." Zac chuckled and said, "Thanks for saving me, Phillip." Phillip smiled and said, "Just returning the favor." Tyler, Koda, Ivan, and Chase grabbed Zac's tail and Riley and Shelby grabbed Zac's arms and dragged him closed to the other end of the beach away from the water. Zac started to dry his tail with his heating powers as Chase said, "Phillip's right. Your tail does was a ton." Zac chuckled as he finished drying and his legs returned. He stood up and said, "Where do we go from here?" Tyler replied, "We follow those two monsters. We have to beat them to the Plesio Zord." "Let's go," Shelby said as the group ran from the beach in the direction Fury and Meteor went.

Back at the dig site, Doctor Runga was brushing dirt off of a fossil when he heard a growl. He sighed and said, "You'll have to come back. Now is not a good time." Suddenly the fossil head he recently dug up was thrown in and broken. Doctor Runga looked up and Fury was standing there and said, "Is now a better time?" He jumped into the dig site scaring Doctor Runga who said, "What do you want?" "I want a dinosaur," Fury answered. Doctor Runga opened several cases containing dinosaur fossils and said, "Here, here. Take them." "Bones?" Fury roared. "I don't want bones. I want a real dinosaur." "A living dinosaur?" Doctor Runga asked. "There's no such thing." "Wrong," Fury said. "One is alive. Eight teenagers discovered it today." "Oh, those taniwha hunters," Doctor Runga said. Fury nodded and said, "You're going to find it before they do and tell me where it is. And just think, you'll be more famous than you ever imagined." "Yeah," Doctor Runga realized. "The find of a lifetime. And I'll finally have that front cover." "And then I'll destroy it," Fury said laughing. "No," Doctor Runga exclaimed. "You can't destroy it." "I will destroy it," Fury said. "Or I'll destroy you. So, do we have a deal?" Doctor Runga nodded fearfully.

The Rangers were sitting at a picnic table near the ocean contacting Ms. Morgan about the Plesio Zord. Kendall said, "I've analyzed Shelby's video. Judging by the sounds the Zord made, I think it may be sick." "That does make sense," Zac said thinking back to when he was with the Zord. "It sounded weak compared to our other Zords." Riley nodded and asked, "Why would it be sick?" Kendall answered, "Once awakened, some Zords need to be in contact with their Energems. This one hasn't been near the Purple Energem since Albert bonded with it. It may be too weak to survive much longer." "That's why it appeared to Shelby, Tyler, and Zac," Chase commented. "Shelby was holding the Purple Energem. It needed energy." "It must have tried to communicate that to me when I swam up to it. It did say it wanted something." Riley looked at Zac and asked, "You can understand the Zords?" Zac nodded and said, "Somewhat. My telepathy helps me communicate with them mentally." "Whatever the case," Tyler said. "We better get going." Shelby stood up and said, "I'll meet you guys back at the car."

The guys walked away but none of them noticed Doctor Runga sitting at a table nearby. He stood up and walked up to Shelby and said, "Ah, hello Shelby." Shelby got up and turned around with Doctor Runga continuing, "What a pleasant surprise." Shelby said back, "Doctor Runga. What a coincidence." "Yeah," Doctor Runga said, "It's a small country. Hey, I wanna apologize. I was a bit rude earlier today." Shelby interrupted, "No, it's OK." Doctor Runga shook his head and said, "Please, let me make it up to you. I see you have my book. Allow me to autograph it for you." "You don't have to," Shelby said. Doctor Runga shook his head and said, "Ah, I insist. Do you have a pen?" Shelby looked around and saw a stand nearby. She turned to Doctor Runga and said, "Uh, I'll grab one." Shelby went to the stand to borrow a pen, but Doctor Runga used that to grab her phone and looked through her videos and found the one with the Plesio Zord. He looked shocked and said, "So they did find it." He quickly sent the video to his own phone, put it back down on the table, and walked away. Shelby came back to the table but saw that Doctor Runga vanished.

Shelby joined the other Rangers as they were explaining different caves, with Zac avoiding all of the dripping water from the cave ceiling. Phillip chuckled and said, "Having a hard time?" Zac glared at him and said, "It's not funny. One touch and I'll start flapping about like a fish on a boat. I don't want to drag everybody down because of me." Phillip muttered sorry as Riley commented, "No sign over there." Tyler sighed and said, "There's nothing down that cave, either." Ivan walked over to them and said, "'Twas a dead end. No Zord." "We seem to just be going in circles," Phillip commented. Shelby pulled out her communicator and contacted Ms. Morgan and said, "We didn't find anything, Ms. Morgan." Kendall commented back, "Well, I found something. There's a news report that's going viral. It says, "A living Plesiosaur has been found in New Zealand." It's Doctor Runga." "Doctor Runga?" Shelby asked, not wanting to believe it. "There's a photograph," Kendall said as she showed it to the Rangers. Shelby got pissed and said, "That's from my video. He stole it!" Kendall nodded and said, "He's holding a press conference today at his dig site, and he plans to show the full video." Shelby huffed and said, "We'll see about that." She shoved her way past the others, causing Koda to bump into Zac, who hit a nearby wall under dripping water. "Well, great!" Zac shouted as he transformed his merman form and fell to the ground. Everyone turned around and saw his predicament. Koda knelt next to him and said, "Sorry. Could not control where I go." Shelby looked guilty and said, "Sorry, Zac." Zac huffed as he started to dry his tail while saying, "Phillip, don't even try to laugh about this," looking up to see Phillip trying to suppress his giggles. Phillip muttered sorry again with Ivan looking at him and saying, "Sire, a little respect." Zac finished drying off and said, "Now, where were we?"

Back at the dig site, workers were putting together equipment ready for the live broadcast. Doctor Runga came up to a technician and said, "Make sure that works." He was telling a woman where to put his photo when Shelby walked up behind him and asked, "So, you don't believe in taniwha?" Doctor Runga turned to the crew and said, "Would you give us a moment, please?" He turned to Shelby as she said, "You stole my video." "Don't worry," Doctor Runga assured her. "I'll share the credit." "I don't want credit," Shelby shouted back. "If you show the world that video, New Zealand will be crawling with hunters and that creature won't survive. You need to tell everyone that video is fake." "But it's not fake," Doctor Runga said. "That creature is out there alive. I've discovered some of the greatest fossils in the world, but they mean nothing compared to this. This is a real flesh and blood dinosaur. Join me for the announcement. Then you can dump that museum and you'll be famous beyond your imagination." Shelby scoffed at him and said, "Is that all this means to you? A chance to be famous? When I was a kid, your book inspired me. All I cared about was learning about dinosaurs, discovering fossils, and someday to hopefully meet you. Your name may be Doctor Runga, but you're definitely not the man who inspired me. Not anymore." She turned around and left Doctor Runga there with his thoughts and walked back to the Rangers and said, "He's going to tell the world." "What shall we do?" Ivan asked. "We need to find the Plesio Zord and fast," Shelby answered. "Then let's get to it," Zac said as the Rangers got into their Jeep and drove off. Doctor Runga stared at their Jeep leaving and then saw Fury in the distance. As a woman came up to give him information about the press conference, he remembered his deal with Fury and he turned to her and said, "Later. I have to go." He ran off as the woman was trying to get his attention.

As the Rangers were driving in the Jeep, Ms. Morgan was communicating with them, "When you last saw the Plesio Zord, it went underwater. Zac, do you have any idea which direction it went?" Zac shook his head and said, "No. But before I blacked out, I think it turned toward the south." Ms. Morgan looked at her digital map and said, "There are two sea caves approximately six miles south of where you spotted her." Riley nodded and said, "We're on our way, Ms. Morgan."

They pulled the Jeep up to one of the caves and they all got out. "Is the Energem reacting at all?" Phillip asked. Shelby pulled out the Energem and said, "It's glowing." "Then we must be close," Chase said. They heard their communicators beep. Koda pulled out his and Ms. Morgan reported, "I've narrowed it down to one cave big enough to hold a Zord. Go north." "OK. We go north," Koda said as he put his communicator away and the group ran north. But Koda started running in the opposite direction and Ivan called out, "Koda, we're in New Zealand. North's this way. Don't worry. I'm still amazed the Earth isn't flat." "Oh yes," Koda said as he ran to catch up to Ivan and the others. "Why they change that?" Neither of them noticed Doctor Runga was secretly following the group.

Up at a sea cave near the ocean, they stopped running and Koda said, "This must be it." "It does make sense," Zac said. "The ocean water is really close. It must have used the high tide to hide in here." Shelby took out the Purple Energem and everyone saw that it was glowing. Then the Rangers heard a loud roar from the cave, confirming that the Plesio Zord was in there. "That's her!" Shelby exclaimed. Suddenly Doctor Runga came up behind the group and said, "A living dinosaur. I need to see it." He walked around the group but Shelby stopped him by saying, "It's not something you use just to make yourself famous." Doctor Runga sighed, turned around, and said, "You're right, Shelby. It's not about press conferences and magazine covers. I've been digging for fossils my whole life because when I was a kid, all I ever dreamed about was meeting a real dinosaur. And you reminded me of that." Shelby smiled and said, "That's the Doctor Runga I know." Doctor Runga smiled back and said, "And thanks to you, I finally get to meet one." He turned to walk into the cave, but Shelby stopped him and said, "But it's not a dinosaur." Doctor Runga looked confused and said, "Yes it is. I've seen the video." The Rangers hesitated to reveal what it actually was, but Zac stepped forward and said, "Shelby, we gotta tell him the truth." Phillip turned to Doctor Runga and said, "Zac's right, Shelby. No use hiding it now." Everyone else nodded and Tyler looked at Doctor Runga and said, "It's a Zord." "The Plesio Zord, to be precise," Riley added. Doctor Runga looked confused again and said, "Wait, I don't understand. Only Power Rangers use Zords." The Rangers looked at one another and Chase said, "That's correct." Doctor Runga finally put the pieces together and said, "Wait, it you're after the Zord, then you must be…" "The Zord is very weak," Shelby interrupted. "We're here to heal it with this." And she held up the Purple Energem. "But he said you discovered a living dinosaur," Doctor Runga said. "What scoundrel told you that?" Ivan asked.

Doctor Runga looked behind the Rangers and said, "Him." Suddenly Fury's laughter filled the air and the Rangers turned around and saw Fury and Meteor standing on a hill nearby and Fury said, "Fools. Thanks, Doc. We can take it from here." "I'm so sorry," Doctor Runga apologized. "I've lead him right to you. I didn't know he was following me." Meteor laughed and said, "Let's destroy the Zord and get out of here." He summoned Vivix and sent them toward the group. The Rangers got in a fighting stance as Koda turned around and said, "Get to safety, Doctor." "He's right," Phillip said. "Get out of here before they come after you." Doctor Runga turned and ran into the sea cave as the Rangers charged into battle. Each Ranger did very well kicking and punching the Vivix down. They defeated them all and got into their battle stance. "It's Morphin TIme!" Shelby yelled. "Dino Charger!" "Ready!" The other boys yelled. They loaded their Dino Chargers into their morphers and transformed into Power Rangers. "Let's kick it up a notch," Tyler said. They charged into the remaining Vivix as Fury and Meteor joined the fight.

Shelby was kicking some Vivix away as the Purple Energem glowed in her hand again. "It's glowing again," she told the others. "Go!" Tyler shouted at her. "Get it to the Plesio Zord." "I'll go with her," Zac said. "I can communicate with the Plesio Zord. Plus, it knows me already." "Sounds fair," Phillip said. "Hurry my lady, Your Highness," Ivan said. "We don't know how much longer the Plesio Zord can hold out." "We'll hold these guys off," Tyler said. Shelby and Zac nodded and they both ran into the cave. Meteor saw Shelby and Zac run into the cave and he yelled, "Vivix, stop them!" "Oh no you don't," Chase and Riley came tumbling down and fought off the Vivix at the front of the cave, protecting Shelby and Zac.

"Here we come, Plesio," Shelby said. "I feel it," Zac said. "Just a few more meters." Suddenly a laser blasted Shelby and Zac to the ground, knocking the Energem out of Shelby's hand. They turned around and saw Meteor coming toward them. "What do yo think you're doing?" Shelby asked. Meteor laughed and said, "I'm going to destroy that Zord, get the Purple Energem, and the Pink and Aqua ones, too." "Not a chance, asteroid breath!" Zac yelled. Suddenly Doctor Runga ran up behind the pair and said, "I won't let him get it, Shelby." Meteor huffed and said, "You! Give it to me, or I'll roast you!" He started to walk toward the three, but suddenly stopped like he couldn't move. Shelby and Doctor Runga looked over and saw Zac with his hand raised towards Meteor, using his wind powers to hold Meteor back. "What?" Meteor yelled. "I can't move. What's going on?" "Hurry, Doctor Runga!" Zac said. "I can only hold him off for so long." Doctor Runga stared at him perplexed at how Zac was doing that and said, "But, how…" "Just throw the stone in your hand down into the cavern. The Plesio Zord is just a few feet away. I can feel it. It's getting weaker. It can't last much longer." "But…" Doctor Runga started. "Doctor Runga," Shelby interrupted. "Throw it to the Zord in that cavern. Trust me." Doctor Runga turned and threw the Energem as hard as he could down into the cavern. Zac let Meteor go from the wind's hold as the group heard the Plesio Zord roar and Meteor shouted, "No! The Zord's re-energizing." "It's fantastic," Doctor Runga said as Shelby and Zac got up from the ground. Shelby looked at Doctor Runga and said, "You did it, Doctor Runga. I'm proud of you." Doctor Runga smiled as the group heard the Plesio Zord roared again. Zac looked at Doctor Runga and said, "It says thank you." Doctor Runga looked at him and said, "How do you…" "Don't ask," Zac said. "It's just something I do." Doctor Runga nodded they heard the Plesio coming closer as Meteor said, "This can't be good!" The monster ran out of the cavern and pushed past the other Rangers as Shelby turned and said, "Look out!" She, Zac, and Doctor Runga ran out of the cavern as the Plesio Zord flew out of the cavern. "So a Zord that resembles an aquatic dinosaur can fly," Zac said. "Interesting." "Couldn't agree with you more," Phillip said as they saw the Plesio Zord shoot lasers at Meteor. Fury growled and said, "That hot-head's a failure once again, buy I'll get the blame." Fury ran away from the scene as Koda commented, "Plesio Zord all better now." Shelby added, "Thanks to a little help from Doctor Runga." Doctor Runga stepped forward and said, "It may not have been a real dinosaur, but it was…" "Awesome?" Tyler interrupted. "Exaclty," Doctor Runga agreed as the group laughed.

Up on Sledge's ship, Sledge saw the new Plesio Zord and was furious. He growled and said, "I won't let that Zord get away. Magna Beam!" A nearby Vivix then activated the Magna Beam that made Meteor grow giant size down on Earth.

The Rangers' communicators beeped and Ms. Morgan reported, "Meteor is attacking the city." "So it looks like we've got trouble," Chase said. "Let's try catching a ride on the Plesio Zord," Phillip suggested. The group nodded and the Rangers minus Shelby ran off, but Zac saw this and turned around and asked, "Shelby? Are you coming." "One second, Zac," Shelby said as she turned to Doctor Runga and said, "Doctor Runga, it was so great to meet you." "You too, Shelby," Doctor Runga said. "Your secret's safe with me. As well as yours, whatever it may be." He said that last sentence to Zac, who nodded and said, "That's good to hear. Thanks." Doctor Runga nodded and continued, "And thanks for reminding me what really matters." Shelby nodded and said, "See ya." She turned and started running to meet the others along with Zac. Doctor Runga smiled as the pair of Rangers ran off.

They met up with the others as the Plesio Zord brought them up to its cockpit, with Tyler saying, "Awesome!" like he always does. They all activated their Dino Drive modes and landed in the cockpit. Shelby looked around and said, "Plesio Zord, great to finally meet you." It roared as Zac translated, "It says it's nice to finally meet everyone too." It roared again and Zac said, "I'm fine, thanks for asking. No need to worry." "What did it ask?" Phillip wondered. Zac turned to him and said, "It asked if I was OK after the meteor attack. It felt bad for leaving me there injured but I said that I'm fine and there's no need to worry." "How can you communicate with it?" Riley asked. "You seem to understand it fairly well." "Well," Zac said. "The Plesio Zord is based on the Plesiosaur, which were aquatic animals. I happen to understand a lot of aquatic animals like dolphins and whales so maybe that's why I can understand the Plesio Zord more than the others, even my own Zord. I can see the Ankylo Zord getting jealous of that." The group laughed as the Plesio Zord came upon Meteor who said, "Ha, think you can stop me?" The Plesio Zord just rammed into Meteor and Shelby shouted, "Shoot him into space where he belongs! Now!" As the Plesio Zord sped towards space, Zac was starting to get a weird feeling. "What's this about?" he thought. "It like my powers are reacting to us being in space. But why?" As the Plesio Zord knocked Meteor away, the Moon was in full view and Zac stared right at the answer to his predicament. "The moon!" he realized. "Now that I am closer to the moon, it is making me stronger. But it also feels like it is pulling me into its trance. No, not now. I need to focus on the battle at hand. Energem, don't let me down." He used the Energem to block the moon's effect on him and he slowly felt it work as Tyler said, "Nice, job, but he's not finished yet." "Activate Plesio Charge Mega Zord!" Shelby shouted. The Plesio Zord slowly shifted into its Megazord form as Meteor charged at it. "Steady," Shelby said. The Megazord charged at Meteor as Tyler said, "Brace yourselves." The two giants crashed into each other with Meteor saying, "Deal with this. Spiral Galaxy Blast!" "Plesio Rocket Punch!" The Rangers cried out which countered Meteor's attack. "Let's make space his final frontier," Shelby said with Zac looking at her and saying, "Star Trek? Really?" The Rangers aimed their blaster at Meteor and fired, destroying him for good, they hoped. The Rangers cheered and said, "Monster extinct!"

Back on Sledge's ship, Sledge was seating on his chair with Fury in front of him and he said, "I can't believe this. Pathetic, Fury. Meteor failed. Just the latest in a long line of my monsters destroyed on your watch!" "Please, Master Sledge!" Fury pleaded. "I have an idea." Sledge shoved Fury back and said, "No. I'm going to make my own plans and finish the Rangers myself."

Back on the Plesio Zord, they were flying over New Zealand, Shelby looked over at Chase and asked, "Sad to say goodbye to New Zealand, Chase?" "Yea," Chase said. "But I'll be back soon!" Tyler contacted Ms. Morgan and said, "Ms. Morgan, we're coming home." "I'm glad to hear it," Kendall said. "I'm very impressed. You retrieved both the Purple Energem and the Plesio Zord." "We get stronger everyday," Riley said. "Soon," Koda added. "We make Sledge extinct too." The Rangers cheered in agreement but Zac spoke up, "Um, Ms. Morgan? Can you wait a little bit longer before we go back to the museum?" "Why are you asking, Zac?" Kendall asked. "Well," Zac started. "This was kind of supposed to be a vacation for us. We did see a lot of New Zealand, but there's one part of it that I wanted to explore before we came back. With your permission of course." Kendall nodded and said, "Fine. But I want you guys back here by tomorrow morning." "Don't worry," Zac said. "We will. Especially thanks to the Plesio Zord." Ms. Morgan ended communications as Chase asked, "What else of New Zealand did you want to see before we left?" Zac smiled and said, "Just head for the marina and we'll go from there." The group looked confused but they piloted the Plesio Zord to a nearby beach a few miles from the marina.

The Rangers went to the marina puzzled as to what Zac was planning. He told them to wait near some power boats and put on some swimwear (Koda's and Ivan's being hilariously out of date) and then they saw him come back with with diving suits and equipment. "Zac," Chase said. "What's going on?" Zac smiled and said, "Just get these and yourselves into the boats. I will explain everything when we reach out destination." "And where would that be?" Shelby asked. "It's a surprise," Zac answered. The Rangers loaded the diving equipment and put on the diving suits, including Zac. He went to the captain's seat of the boat and Phillip asked, "You know how to drive this thing?" Zac smiled and said, "Yep. We have several boats like this back on the Gold Coast in Australia. Evie's dad has a boat just like this."

He started the boat up and drove them out to a secluded area of the ocean. Shelby looked at Zac and said, "OK. We're here. Now will you tell us what you are planning?" "Hold that thought for a minute," Zac said as he dove off the side of the boat, with the Rangers looking over the edge for their friend. A few seconds later, Zac popped out of the water having transformed into his merman self and said, "Much better." "What's all this about?" Riley asked. "Well," Zac said. "This was supposed to be sort of a vacation for us. Chase did show us a lot of Auckland, but there is one place that I am more of an expert of than he is when it comes to New Zealand. And that is the underwater sightings." "And this machinery is for?" Ivan asked. "Diving of course. I am fine underwater and don't need this equipment, but you guys do. I thought that a little undersea sight seeing was in order. Also I wanted to show you guys my world a little bit. Consider me your merman tour guide for the afternoon." Everyone cheered except for Koda who said, "I can't swim." Chase looked at him and said, "It's OK, mate. I'll help you out." "And this machinery looks a little barbaric to me," Ivan added. Phillip chuckled and said, "No worries, Sir Ivan. I can help you with it." "I give my thanks, Your Highness," Ivan said.

"All right," Zac said. "Get that equipment on and let's get started," Zac said. "Awesome!" Tyler said as he and the others got their diving equipment on. They all jumped off of the side of the boat, except for Koda who was scared because of his lack of swimming knowledge. Zac saw this and said, "It's OK. Just count to three and jump." "OK," Koda said. "One, two…" Suddenly the wind picked up and pushed Koda off of the boat and into the water. Koda gasped as he came up from the water and said, "How that happened?" Everyone turned to see Zac holding his hand toward the boat. "You did that on purpose," Phillip said. "What?" Zac said. "It helped, didn't it. Plus, it's payback for all the times he dumped water onto my head." "Not funny," Koda said. "OK," Zac said. "When I was looking for the Plesio Zord, I found this beautiful coral reef nearby. I thought it would be fun to explore. Koda, just watch what everyone else is doing. Just remember to kick your feet sharply and don't take sudden breaths as you will use up your oxygen tank faster that way. Now follow me." He turned and dived underwater, flicking his tail as he did so with the others following him. Soon, they came to the coral reef in question and Zac was right; it was really beautiful. All of the aquatic sea life were swimming all around them. Riley was taking pictures with his underwater camera and Shelby and Tyler were pointing to all of the amazing sights. Chase was helping Koda keep up while Phillip made sure that Ivan was using the diving equipment properly.

After a good half hour, they came up and took off their diving masks as Tyler said, "That was amazing. Is this was you see a lot when you are out swimming?" Zac nodded and said, "The reef near Mako Island is some of the best sights anyone would love to see. It is one of the perks of being a merman." "Are there other places nearby we can check out?" Chase asked. "Yes," Zac answered. "There are a couple more we can see before we head back to Amber Beach. But first I want to try something. Riley, are you wearing your watch by chance?" "Yea, why?" Riley asked. "Can you time me for something?" Zac asked. "I want to swim to that cliff and back and see how fast I have been getting." Riley started up his stopwatch and said, "On your marks, get set, Go!" Zac dove underwater and sped swam away from the group, startling them at how fast he could swim. "Cool," Tyler said. "Wow," Shelby said. "Impressive," Phillip said. "Amazing," Ivan said. "No way," Chase said. "Fast," Koda said. Riley looked ahead and said, "Here he comes," and a few seconds later, Zac zoomed to a stop and popped his head out of the water and asked, "How long was that, Riley?" Riley looked at his watch and said, "15.23 seconds." Everyone's jaws dropped as Shelby said, "Seriously? Wow, Zac. You swam so fast." "Thanks," Zac said. "I knew I was fast, but not that fast. Looks like I am improving. Come on, let's get back on the boat and look at those other locations before we head back to the museum." Everyone started to swim back to the boat as Zac looked up at the sky and saw the outline of the moon, thinking back to what happened in space. "Looks like I have more questions to ask Keeper when we get back," Zac thought. "Being that close to the moon must have affected me somehow when I was up there. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" He sighed and decided not to worry about it for now. He turned and swam back to the boat with the others, wanting to finish his small vacation in peace.


	19. Chapter 19: Wishing for a Hero

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Three chapters in one week? What is happening. While, I just wanting to keep writing and this chapter wasn't going to take as long as the previous two chapters. I want to try to get all of the Dino Charge episodes done before I start adapting the Dino Super Charge episodes, since I will be adding a lot more original content to each episode of that** **season.**

 **Plus, season 4 of Lucifer is finally coming out on Netflix on May 8th. I haven't seen a new episode in almost a year since Fox cancelled it last year and I can't wait. And my focus will be on that for a while so I want to finish the Dino Charge episodes quickly before then. So hopefully I can get chapter 20 done too soon. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19: Wishing for a Hero

At the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, Kendall was walking outside near a construction crew who were trying to bring cement down with a crane. As she was walking across the street, the rope holding onto the cement broke and swung right to Kendall. Suddenly a man ran up to her and pushed her out of the way, knocking our purse to the ground, revealing the Purple Energem. The man helped Kendall up and asked, "You OK, miss?" "Thank you!" Kendall said. "That was so brave. You're a hero!" "I'll get your purse," the man said as he bent down to pick up the purse and he picked up the Purple Energem. The construction crew looked over to the pair, taking off their hats to reveal that they were the other Rangers. They were actually staging a rescue for Kendall so that someone could bond with the Purple Energem. The man handed the purse back to Kendall, as well as the Purple Energem, which was not glowing, meaning it did not choose him. The man suddenly said, "A hero shouldn't go unappreciated, right? How about a few bucks, you know? For saving your life and all?" Kendall looked disgusted and said, "You want money for helping me? That's not heroic at all." She walked away as Chase came up to the man and handed him some money and said, "Thanks for all your help, mate." The man walked away as the other Rangers gathered around Chase as Kendall said, "We need to find a hero for the Purple Energem to bond to. Let's do it again." "Are you sure, Ms. Morgan?" Zac asked. "We have already tried so many people already and none of them have worked. Maybe we need to try a different approach." "I appreciated the concern," Kendall told Zac. "But this will work." She walked away as Zac said, "I should have just agreed with Phillip about not wanting to do this." as when the Rangers were discussing this plan, Phillip immediately mentioned that he has several meetings to attend to at his embassy that day, even though Zac knew that Phillip was just making an excuse to avoid doing the plan as he thought it wouldn't work, as that was what happened to him while trying to bond with the Energem. Chase came up to Zac and said, "Well, mate, since you don't have other important duties right now, you don't have a choice in the matter." "Great," Zac thought as the other Rangers set up the scenario again.

The Rangers did the rescue scene again and again, but to no avail. Kendall finally had enough and said to the other Rangers, "That's enough for today." She looked at Zac and said, "And don't think about saying "I told you so" as I see it on your face." Zac muttered, "Wasn't going to." as Riley came up to Ms. Morgan and said, "Hey, don't worry, Ms. Morgan. I'm sure we'll find a new Purple Ranger." "I hope," Kendall said. "An unbonded Energem can be very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands." "We'll keep it safe," Chase said as he and the others walked back to the museum. Suddenly, Zac stopped feeling a sense of dread creep into his head. He turned around looking at the area and seeing nothing suspicious. He thought, "I get the feeling that I am being watched. I should keep up my guard." And he turned and went to join the others.

Soon, Fury came out from behind a pillar and said, "The Purple Energem is unbonded?" "There you are," a voice called from behind him. Fury turned around and saw a new monster, Wish Star, come up to him and say, "Ready to turn the Rangers' wishes into disasters?" The monster laughed as Fury grabbed him, threw him to the nearby wall, and said, "Wish Star, wait. They have an unbonded Energem. I have to tell Sledge." "But what about me?" Wish Star asked. Fury laughed and said, "You are going back to jail." Wish Star gulped and said, "If I get an Energem, Sledge gives me my freedom. That's my deal." "The deal has changed," Fury informed Wish Star, who grew angry and said, "I won't go back to prison. Time to write a wish card." He pulled out a card and wrote, "Fury Freeze!" on it, and threw it at Fury, who froze in place. Wish Star laughed and said, "My wishes always come true." He ran away as the spell on Fury broke, who grunted and said, "Curse you, Wish Star. We'll see who gets the Energem first. Either way, the Rangers are going down."

Later, the Rangers, now with Phillip and minus Tyler and Shelby, were walking through the park as Phillip commented, "So, the plan was not a success?" Zac looked at him and said, "Well, if you were there, you would have seen it for yourself." Phillip smirked and said, "I was truthful when I said that I had meetings to attend to at my embassy. Learn to have more faith in people, Zac. Important royal advice, if you will." Zac huffed as Koda asked, "So, what we do know, Kendall?" 'We keep trying," Kendall answered. "I don't know how or when, but we will find a worthy Ranger." Suddenly they heard a voice call out saying, "Discover secrets." They turned to see a woman at a nearby stand saying, "Find romance with my wish cards." Wish Star was hiding behind a nearby tree and waved his hand affecting her cards saying, "Misfortune awaits the Rangers. When they least expect it, their wishes will become nightmares."

The woman stopped the Rangers and asked, "What do you desire? Money? Love? Find that special someone with my wish cards." Riley looked uncertain and said, "Wishing cards? No thanks. We're not superstitious. Come on, guys." Koda stopped him and said, "I am super squishiness." He wrote on a card as Chase came up and said, "And I could use all the help I can get." Zac looked at the cards and felt something was off about them, knowing that he probably shouldn't use them, as he remembered what happened last time he made a wish. As the two boys were writing on their cards, Ivan asked, "Does such sorcery actually work?" "Frankly, no," Kendall answered. "Ms. Morgan's right. Come on, guys," Riley said. "Wishes don't magically come true." Suddenly, Tyler and Shelby walked up to them and Tyler said, "Hey, guys. What's going on?" Riley pointed to Koda and Chase and said, "These guys are writing down their wishes, thinking they'll actually come true." "Yeah," Shelby said. "Like that's gonna happen." "Don't be so sure," Zac said. "Last time I made a wish on something, it almost caused people to think that I was a alien obsessed nerd." The group looked at him weird and Zac said, "Long story. But I would be wary of those cards is all I am saying. Something doesn't feel right." The group nodded as Shelby handed Koda a bag saying, "Koda, got you the Tropical Burger." Koda gasped and said, "That my wish!" "No, no, no, no!" Riley said. "That's not magic. You always wish for a burger." Koda reached into the bag and started to eat the burger as Ivan asked, "So Chase, what was your wish?" Before Chase could answer, a girl with a skateboard came up to Chase and said, "Hey. Is that a kiwi on your skateboard?" Chase looked at her in awe and said, "You certainly know your birds." The girl gasped and said, "Your New Zealand accent. It's so cute." The group looked in shock at Chase as he whispered, "This is my wish." He turned to the girl and asked, "You want to go to the skate park?" "Sure," the girl answered. "As long as you keep talking." "OK," Chase said as he walked away from the group with the girl looking back at them with pride on his face. Phillip turned to Zac and asked, "Is this what you meant by this not feeling right?" Zac nodded and said, "There is no way a girl would randomly come up and talk to Chase like that." Suddenly Tyler, Shelby, and Ivan rushed up to the stand writing down their wishes as Riley, Zac, Phillip, and Kendall looked on in disbelief as Zac said, "Didn't you guys hear what I said?" Riley just shook his head in shame as his friends gave their cards to the woman who put them in her box.

Up on Sledge's ship, Fury told Sledge the bad news. 'Wish Star escaped?" Sledge roared. "My employer would have paid 40,000 space bullion for him. I should toss you in a volcano." "We don't need him," Fury said. "I overheard the Rangers say they're looking for someone to bond with the Energem." "Really?" Sledge asked. "They're looking for a hero? We could help them find one." He marched to the cell block as he continued, "There's only one being on this ship you could mistake for a hero." "Master," Fury said running to catch up with Wrench in tow. "You can't let him out. His solitary confinement cell is the only thing that protects us." Sledge glared at Fury and said, "I don't need your advice. It's settled. I'm using The Heckyl." Wrench gasped in fear as the other prisons clinged to the walls of their cells as they were afraid of the being that Sledge mentioned. Sledge looked around at his inmates and said, "What are you afraid of? He's not that dangerous." He turned to walk towards solitary confinement as Wrench ran up next to him and said, "But I know of several destroyed galaxies that might beg to differ." Sledge scoffed and said, "We've all destroyed galaxies." He turned and walked away while Wrench said, "Well, not all of us."

Sledge reached solitary confinement and told his guards, "Open it, now! Do it!" Wrench shook in fear and said, "I've got a bad feeling about this. Good luck." The guards opened the locked door as everyone, minus Sledge backed away. Soon, the guards were pulling on chains as Sledge said, "Heckyl, get out here!" Heckyl stepped out of the cell and Sledge was right; he did appear human, wearing boots, pants, long suit jacket with undershirt, and he had brown hair with a little blue thrown in. He cracked his neck and said, "I haven't been out of that cell for centuries. I love what you've down with the place." Sledge growled and said, "Get cute with me, and I'll throw you back into that cell. Bottom line, you look like a human, which makes you useful to me. So I'll make you a deal. Bring me the Purple Energem, and I'll set you free." Heckly laughed and said, "Set me free? Ha! Good idea." He opened the palms of his hands, releasing electricity and electrocuted his guards to dust as Sledge screamed, "No!" Heckly smiled and said, "Now, how about I make you a deal? I get you the Purple Energem and we're partners. We rule the universe, together." Sledge laughed and said, "No deal, Heckyl." Heckyl cocked his head and said, "I think you should reconsider." He raised his hands and used his electrical powers to unlock every cell in the block with Sledge saying, "What? Fury! Secure the prisoners!" As Fury, Wrench, and the guards secured the prisoners, Sledge sighed and said, "Fine. We have a deal. Partner." "Excellent," Heckyl said as he pulled out some sunglasses. "I hope my shades are still in style." He walked past Sledge as Sledge growled and said, "Yes, hold onto the shades, Heckyl, because if you fail me, I'm throwing you into the sun."

Back at the museum cafe, the Rangers, minus Phillip, were working in the kitchen when Tyler came in and said, "Hey! Is everybody still good for a picnic? Maybe a great way to clear our heads." Shelby looked in from the front and said, "Yeah, I'm in. For sure." "Thanks for the invitation," Kendall said. "But I'm still trying to figure out a plan to find a Purple Ranger." She walked out of the kitchen as Riley said, "I'm helping Ms. Morgan." He followed her out as Tyler said, "So five it is." He looked over and saw that Koda was not looking too good and Tyler asked, "Koda, are you OK?" Koda shook his head and said, "No go. My tummy hurt…" He ran out of the kitchen as Tyler shouted, "I hope you feel better. What about you, Ivan?" Ivan sighed and said, "Uh, alas, no. I'm covering Chase's shift so he can spend time with his lady of the skateboard." He walked out with an order as Tyler turned to Zac and asked, "And you?" Zac shook his head and said, "Sorry, I can't I have to meet Phillip and Keeper in a few minutes for my next lesson. Maybe next time." Zac walked out of the kitchen as Tyler turned to Shelby and said, "Well, I guess it's just you and me." Shelby looked at him and asked, "You and me, alone?" Tyler nodded as Shelby said, "Yeah, sure." "Cool," Tyler said as he walked out of the kitchen and Shelby said, "That's exactly my wish. OK, calm down. You got this."

Zac came down to the lab, seeing Riley typing away at his computer so Zac walked past him and saw Keeper and Phillip sitting near the corner of the lab. "Ah, there you are," Phillip said. "I was wondering what was keeping you so long." "Now, Phillip," Keeper said. "Zac arrived precisely when he was needed. And probing him will result in nothing." "My apologies, Keeper," Phillip said as Keeper turned to Zac and said, "I recall you wanted to ask something to me when you returned from New Zealand before we start our lesson today." Zac nodded and said, "Well, during our last fight with Meteor and we took the Plesio Zord into space, I noticed a weird sensation. My powers seemed to increase a lot and I felt like the moon spell was trying to overtake my mind." Riley turned around from his computer and asked, "Really? And you didn't say anything during its occurrence?" Zac, Phillip, and Keeper looked at Riley who said, "What? I was curious." Phillip chuckled and said, "Then by all means, pull up a chair and join the lesson." Riley pulled up his chair to the group as Zac continued, "I was able to use the Energem to fight off whatever was affecting me, but it still has me concerned. Keeper, do you think it was because I was close to the moon?" Keeper thought for a moment and said, "That is quite possible. Normally the moon only affects merfolk once a month during the full moon, but being up in space must give you full blast of its power. And since it has been trying to help you embrace your destiny, being in its full moonlight must have progressed your growth." Zac sighed and said, "I thought as much. So what do I do if we have to go back into space again?" "Maybe use it to your advantage," Riley suggested. "If you are taking in more power from the moon, then you could possibly put out just as much power during fights. That way, you won't have all that much influence holding you down." Phillip thought for a moment and said, "That might not be a bad idea. Especially if we are fighting something or someone powerful then you may need the extra boost." Zac thought about it and said, "That is actually a good idea. Thanks, Riley." Riley smiled as Zac turned to Keeper and said, "I did also have another concern about Mimmi. She has been growing power wise like I have despite not having an Energem. Do you think…" "That your Energem is also helping her?" Keeper finished Zac's question. "Since you two are biological twins and already have a psychic link to each other, then it is quite possible. Hers may not be as fast as yours since you are the one who is bonded to the Energem, but maybe the Energem senses your connection to her and Is also advancing her as well as you." Zac nodded and then remembered his worry from earlier that day. "One more thing. When we were at the park, I felt something off about the wish cards that the others filled out. It felt like magic of some kind." "And why didn't you come out and say that while we were there? You only told us to be wary of them. Not being very specific." Phillip said. "Well," Zac answered. "I couldn't tell right away. Plus, by the time I did, the cards were already filled out and in that lady's box." "Maybe we should be wary of what happens to the others then," Keeper said as the boys nodded in agreement. Riley asked, "Can I sit in your lesson? I am really curious as to your culture, Zac. Plus, it will help me see what Phillip is like as well." Phillip smiled and said, "Of course. The more I get to spread my knowledge the better." Zac rolled his eyes as Phillip started his lesson.

Tyler and Shelby were at the park walking across the pond bridge with Tyler pointing to some ducks and said, "That has a little baby following it." Shelby nodded and said, "Yeah, it's so cute!" They found a nearby spot for their picnic and Tyler pulled out some bubbles and showed Shelby how to use it. "Yes!" Tyler said. "Just like that! Good. Good, and lift it up slow. Take your time. You're getting better." Shelby sighed and said, "Bubbles this big never work." "Here, let me give it a go," Tyler said as he took the bubble wand from Shelby. "My dad taught me how to do it." He put the wand into the bucket, pulled it out, and started to make a bubble with it saying, "And just walk with it." Shelby looked in awe and said, "It's so pretty." Suddenly one of the bubbles popped in her eye and she groaned in pain with Tyler apologizing several times. He tried to put some water in her eye to get the soap out but accidentally unloaded too much water, causing Shelby to grab a towel to dry herself off. "Are you sure you got all the soap out?" Tyler asked. "Yeah," Shelby said. "Let's just have something to eat." "Great, I'm starving," Tyler said. Shelby handed him a sandwich and said, "That looks really good. Did you make this?" Shelby nodded as Tyler took a bite. Shelby suddenly screamed and yelled, "Ants! They're everywhere." Tyler jumped up as he and Shelby wiped all of the ants off of them and Tyler laughed saying, "I think I got them all. You good?" Shelby nodded and said, "Talk about a terrible date." She suddenly realized what she said as Tyler asked, "A date? Is that what you think this is?" "No," Shelby denied. "Of course not! Why? Did you think this was a date?" But Tyler was looking behind Shelby and saw a man sitting on the bench nearby and to him it looked like, "Dad?" Tyler asked as he saw the man get up and leave and Tyler ran after him with Shelby saying, "What? Tyler?"

Tyler ran after the man into the woods, but then the man then magically disappeared. "What?" Tyler said when suddenly Wish Star jumped out and said, "You're not going anywhere." "Out of my way!" Tyler said. "Dad!" Wish Star laughed and said, "I baited you here so that I could get your Energem, Ranger." He sent a blast to Tyler, who jumped out of the way. Wish Star then charged in and started to fight Tyler saying, "If you don't hand it over, I'll make you wish you had." "No way," Tyler said as he tried to take Wish Star's staff away, but Wish Star kicked Tyler backwards to the ground and said, "Too easy. Looks like my wish is about to come true." As he was about to finish Tyler off, Shelby came up and yelled, "Hey!" She pulled out her Dino Morpher and blasted Wish Star away from Tyler. Wish Star recovered and said, "Two against one? That's not what I wished for. See you." And he ran off from the pair. Shelby ran up to Tyler and asked, "Are you OK?" Tyler grunted and said, "Yeah. I'm fine." He got up and looked around and said, "He got away! That creep made me lose track of my dad. Or what I thought was my dad." Shelby looked at him and asked, "Was that your wish? Seeing your dad?" Tyler nodded and asked, "Why?" Shelby sighed and said, "Both of our wishes came true, and they both went really bad." "Both?" Tyler asked. Shelby nodded as Tyler asked, "What was your wish?" Shelby struggled to answer, "You know, a picnic." Tyler nodded and said, "Maybe something is up. Like Zac suggested. Only we didn't listen. Let's head back to the base. Come on."

Back at the cafe, Ivan was cleaning up after work with some other workers when Ms. Morgan came in and sat down in a chair. Ivan walked over to her and said, "Hello, Ms. Morgan. Well, have we found any perspective Purple Rangers?" "No," Kendall answered. "Finding a hero is proving to be harder than I thought." Ivan pulled up a chair, sat next to her and said, "Well, even in my day, those worthy of joining the Knights of Zandar were truly rare." Kendall looked around and asked, "Where is everyone?" "Well," Ivan answered. "Chase is at the skate park with his new lady friend, Zac is down in the base with Phillip and Keeper for a lesson, Riley is also down there trying to come up with a new plan, Tyler and Shelby are on a picnic…" "Wait," Kendall interrupted. "Tyler and Shelby are alone? Like a date?" "Yes," Ivan answered. "I suppose it is like a date." He got up as Kendall said, "I bet that was Shelby's wish. And Koda got his burger. Ivan, what was your wish?" Ivan sighed and said, "The same thing every knight asks for: To help a damsel in distress." Suddenly a girl cleaning the lights on a ladder fell off and landed right in Ivan's arms. She gasped and said, "Thanks, Ivan. You're my knight in shining armor." Ivan put her down and said, "And you, my lady, have made my wish come true. Now, can you kindly go scrub the grill?" Kendall then got up and walked out of the lab with Ivan asking, "Ms. Morrgan, wherever are you going?" She turned to Ivan and said, "I know it's crazy, but I'm going to wish for a Purple Ranger." She turned around and walked out of the lab, but didn't notice Ivan starting to grab his back in pain.

Down in the command cave, Riley was working on his laptop as Zac finished his lesson with Keeper and Phillip. The two royals were still talking with each other after the lesson as Koda came in the lab and sat next to Koda, his stomach still in pain. Riley sighed and asked, "How you doing, Koda?" Koda groaned and said, "Tropical Burger, bad idea." Zac and Phillip walked over to the boys looking concerned for Koda. Phillip looked over at Zac with an idea and asked, "Can you…" "Nope," Zac answered quickly knowing what Phillip was asking if he could help Koda's digestive system. "I can do a lot of things, but THAT is not one of them." Phillip chuckled as Ivan came into the lab, tossing his Energem into the cave bed, and groaned in pain as he tried to pull his jacket on. Phillip looked at him and asked, "Sir Ivan? Whatever is the matter?" Ivan sighed and said, "I believe I may have injured my back by helping a young lady." Suddenly Chase came into the lab, tossed his Energem into the cave bed, holding his skateboard and said, "That girl. She broke my heart. And then she broke my skateboard. This is the worst." Zac looked at Phillip and Riley and said, "You guys thinking what I'm thinking," Both boys nodded as Tyler and Shelby came into the lab. Riley looked up and said, "I'm glad you guys are here. We really need to talk about…" "Our wishes?" Shelby finished for him. "How'd you know?" Riley asked. "They both came true before they went bad," Tyler answered. "Wait a second," Riley realized. "That's what happened to everybody that made a wish." Chase realized it too and said, "Those wishing cards…" "I told you to be wary of them," Zac said. "They cursed," Koda said. Tyler looked at Zac and said, "You warned us and we didn't listen. Sorry." Zac shook his head and said, "It's OK. I couldn't figure out that there was magic attached to them until after you wrote on the cards. At least you guys learned your lesson." Shelby looked at Zac and said, "From personal experience I take it? You didn't tell us that long story." "I would like to hear now," Phillip said. Zac sighed and said, "One day I was swimming around a reef near Mako Island. I found this shell and brought it back home. Soon my friends, the mermaid ones, visited me. Through normal conversations, they were looking at younger pictures of me and I wished they could have met me when I was younger. Soon, that shell I found glowed and the mermaids disappeared. I soon realized that the shell heard my wish and sent them into my past. But they accidentally missed with my timeline and made everyone think I was an alien obsessed nerd because that's what I thought they were while they were trying to avoid being found out as mermaids in the past, accidentally embarrassing me in front of everyone. Luckily they were able to fix it and had my past self wish them to the present. Lesson learned, don't wish on magical shells. And be careful what you wish for." The group chuckled as Ivan suddenly remembered, "Ms. Morgan. She's about to make a wish to find a Purple Ranger." "And you just remembered this now?" Phillip asked. Ivan bowed his head as Tyler said, "We have to stop her." They all grabbed their Energems and ran out of the lab.

At the park, Kendall walked up to the wish card stand and said, "Hi. One wish card, please." The woman at the stand smiled and said, "Oh. Go right ahead, deary. That's what I'm here for. What is it you seek? Love? Money?" She was writing on the card when she heard the Rangers yell, "Kendall!" She couldn't understand what they were saying and she dropped the card into the box and walked toward them across the street, not seeing a car sped right to her. Suddenly a man grabbed her and carried her out of the way. She looked up at her rescuer and said, :You could've got hit! Thank you." Her rescuer was none other than Heckyl who said, "You are very welcome, pretty lady." He helped her up and said, "Now, pay attention. And stay out of traffic." He winked at her and walked away with Kendall thinking, "He's my wish," She ran up to him and said, "Excuse me." Soon the other Rangers caught up with her and Shelby asked, "Are you OK, Ms. Morgan?" "I'm fine," Kendall assured the Rangers. They all looked up and saw Heckyl standing there, Zac looked at him and sensed there was something off about him. But Ms. Morgan walked up to Heckyl and said, "This may sound strange, but there's something I'd like you to hold for me." Heckyl looked at her curiously and asked, "What is it?" Kendall pulled out the Purple Energem and said, "Here." Suddenly, the other Rangers started to shout, "No!" at her, knowing that her wish will turn bad.

Then lasers fired at everyone, including Heckyl, knocking everyone backwards, and Kendall dropped the Energem. Wish Star appeared and picked it up saying, "Yes! An Energem. My ticket out of here." Heckyl was about to destroy him, but looked behind him and realized he couldn't blow his cover. He ran away and hid behind a building and said, "The Rangers mustn't know who I am. I will not ruin my plan for one single Energem." He then ran off.

Wish Star chuckled and said, "My wishes never fail me." "I hope you're right," Fury shouted behind him. "I wish for you to explode." He held up a wish card with "Explode!" written on it and threw it at Wish Star, causing explosions to appear, knocking Wish Star down, and the Purple Energem to fly right into Fury's hand, who said, "This is the beginning of the end for you, Rangers." He ran off with Wish Star yelling, "Hey, that was my Energem. But I can still impress Sledge by destroying the Rangers."

The Rangers ran up into battle position near Wish Star and Tyler yelled, "It's Morphin Time! Dino Charger!" "Ready!" The other Rangers yelled. "Energize! Unleash the power!" They transformed into Power Rangers and Wish Star yelled, "What? All eight of you?" The Rangers yelled back, "Dinosaur might, ready to fight! Power Rangers Dino Charge!" Tyler, Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby activated their Dino Steel and their individual weapons, Ivan pulled out his Ptera Saber, Zac pulled out his Ankylo Hammer, and Phillip pulled out his Pachy Wrecking Ball. The Rangers then charged at Wish Star who said, "Look out, Rangers, my wish is your command. And I wish for you all to fall at my feet." He wrote that wish on his wish card and the Rangers fell to the ground and couldn't get back up. Tyler yelled, "What's happening?" "He's controlling us," Chase said. Ivan stood up and yelled, "I'll put en end to this witchcraft." He charged at Wish Star who wrote, "I wish you'd miss me." That wish came true and Ivan missed his target. Wish Star pulled out his staff and said, "Take this!" and hit Ivan with it, knocking him to the ground. He turned to the other Rangers and said, "Hey, Rangers. Try my Bamboo Blast!" He fired at the Rangers but Koda blocked the blasts with his Stego Shield. Zac stood up and said, "I've had enough of this guy and his wishes! Phillip, when I say go, go!" Phillip nodded as Zac raised his hand to Wish Star, who said, "What are you doing, little Ranger?" Zac smirked and said, "The wind's about to change." Then he commanded heavy wind to blow the wish cards away from Wish Star and then Zac yelled, "Go! Destroy those cards!" Phillip shouted, "With pleasure," and used his Wrecking Ball and destroyed them. One landed near Wish Star, who shouted, "No! My precious cards." He tried to get the one that landed near him, but Zac saw this and raised his hand to the card, using his heating powers and burned it. Wish Star growled and said, "You destroyed my cards! How?" Zac smirked and said, "I told you the wind was about to change. And be careful; things could catch on fire at any moment. Think fast." He raised his Ankylo Hammer and swung it at Wish Star, knocking him backwards. Riley got up and said, "Good move, Zac." Zac gave him the thumbs up and said, "Your turn now." Riley looked at Koda and Shelby and asked, "Shall we do this?" They nodded and the three combined their weapons. Chase looked over and Tyler and said, "Hey, Tyler, Para." Tyler nodded and combined his weapon with Chase's. Soon they had the Triple Spike and T-Rex Chopper at their disposal. Wish Star looked up and got nervous seeing the weapons. The five Rangers smirked and yelled, "Dino Peer! Double Blast!" Wish Star was knocked to the ground as Tyler said, "I have another wish. Weapons combine!" The five combined their weapons as Ivan raised his Saber, Zac raised his Hammer, and Phillip raised his Wrecking Ball. The Rangers all yelled, "Final Strike!" They charged the attack at Wish Star, who yelled, "This isn't on my wish list!" before he blew up.

Up on Sledge's ship, Sledge growled and said, "The Rangers are going to wish they hadn't done that." He had the Magna Beam fired and made Wish Star grow., who shouted, "Wish Star's about to shine."

"No," Tyler said. 'It's time for us to summon Zords!" He turned to Zac and Phillip, who both nodded, and the three boys summoned their Zords to make the Dino Charge Megazord, Ankylo-Pachy formation. The Rangers activated their Dino Drive modes and jumped into the Megazord. Wish Star scoffed and said, "I don't need wish cards to crush you." "Then bring it on!" Zac shouted. Wish Star laughed and said, "My power will bamboozle you!" He charged at the Megazord, but was blocked. Tyler laughed and said, "Pigs will fly before you beat us!" "Pachy Zord, Wrecking Ball Punch!" Phillip yelled as the Zord hit Wish Star several times, knocking the monster back. "Ankylo Zord, Hammer Punch!" Zac yelled as the Zord whacked Wish Star hard. Wish Star then summoned Vivix giants to hold the Megazord in place. "They're so strong," Chase said. "Then let's get some help. Summon Ptera Zord!" He summoned his Zord, jumped out of the cockpit, and into his Zord. "Ptera Lightning Blast!" Ivan shouted and rained lightning down onto the Vivix giants, causing them to back away from the Dino Charge Megazord. "En garde!" Ivan shouted as he flew through the giants destroying them. Tyler laughed and said, "Thanks, Ivan!" "Take this!" Shelby yelled as the Megazord kicked Wish Star back. The Rangers yelled, "Ankylo Zord Hammer, Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball! Final Strike!" They charged up their final attack and unleashed it on Wish Star, who yelled, "I wish they hadn't done that!" as he was finally destroyed. The Rangers cheered and shouted, "Monster extinct!"

Up on Sledge's ship, Sledge shouted, "Hurry up, Wrench! I've waited millions of years for this moment." Wrench put the Purple Energem into Sledge's blaster and said, "It's done. Your blaster is now powered by the Purple Energem." He saw the Sledge was about to test it but Wrench shouted, "Careful! One blast could blow a hole in the ship." Sledge turned around and saw Heckyl walking up toward him. Sledge chuckled and said, "So, you made it back." "Of course," Heckyl said. "Shall we celebrate getting the Purple Energem, partner?" Sledge growled and said, "You didn't get the Energem. Fury did. Throw him back into solitary confinement!" Heckyl chuckled and said, "I was so hoping to avoid this." He turned and fired an electrical blast at Sledge, but Sledge activated his blaster and said, "Just try to avoid this!" The blasted overpowered Heckyl and knocked him backwards into his cell, and the door closed, locking him in. Sledge laughed and said, "Good work, Wrench." Wrench laughed nervously and said, "Thanks, Master Sledge." Sledge walked away and said, "Next up, the Rangers!" He didn't hear Heckyl say, "You will pay. Mark my words."

Down in the Ranger cave, the Rangers were still disappointed about losing the Purple Energem. "We lost Purple Energem," Koda said. "Well," Ivan commented. "If we had not made those wishes, none of this would have happened." He turned to Zac and knelt to him saying, "I apologize, Your Highness. I should have listened to your warning before making that wish." Zac sighed and said, "I already forgave you guys. Again, you don't have to keep kneeling to me, Ivan. It's OK." Ivan said, "Just showing my respect." He got up and Keeper came out and said, "Wishes don't always come true. The only sure way to accomplish something is to continue trying and never give up. I think Zac was correct is saying that you all have learned an important lesson today." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks, Keeper." Kendall stepped forward and said, "If Sledge can control the power of that Energem, he could build a weapon with frightening strength." Phillip sighed and said, "If that happens, then the Earth will be doomed. We can't let that happen." Riley sighed and said, "There's only one way to solve this." 'Let me guess," Tyler said. "Logic?" "Of course!" Riley answered. "OK, so when Sledge comes to Earth, he expects to find us and fight, right?" Everyone nodded as Riley continued, "OK, well we have to go to the one place he won't expect us to be." Chase realized what Riley was saying and asked, "To his space ship?" Riley nodded and said, "Exactly." Zac gulped and said, "I was hoping to avoid going back up there so soon." Riley looked at Zac and said, "Just remember the idea I came up with. Output as much power as the moon is giving you." Zac nodded as Shelby asked, "What are you guys talking about?" Tyler, Chase, Koda, Ivan, and Kendall all nodded in agreement to Shelby's question, since they were not in the lab during this past discussion. Zac sighed and said, "When we took the fight with Meteor up into space, my powers greatly increased and I felt the moon's influence increase exponentially. I realized that me being that close to the moon was making its influence on me stronger than usual. I was able to block it, but I feel that I won't always be able to, depending on how long we are up there for. I bought this up to Keeper and Phillip during my lesson today, and Riley overheard and suggested that if I am getting all that power and influence from the moon, then I could possibly use that much power in the fight, hopefully balancing out the moon spell. I trust Riley's idea, it's just since it hasn't been tried before, I am afraid of the outcome. What if the influence is too strong. What if I use too much power and become to weak to finish the fight? What if I turn on you guys?" Phillip walked over and said, "We don't know what will happen. We just have to have faith. In yourself and with us." The others nodded in agreement. Keeper stepped forward and said, "Don't be afraid of what the moon will do to you Embrace who you are and let yourself take control of yourself, not the other way around." Zac nodded and said, "Then let's do this…"


	20. Chapter 20: One More Energem

Dino Charge- Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Chapter 20 as promised. And this is the end of part 1 of this story. I finally did it after starting this story almost two years ago. This is the halfway point so now you know that this story will be 40 chapters long; 20 chapters for part one that follow the first season of Dino Charge, and part 2 will be 20 chapters long and will be following season 2, Dino Super Charge. And yes, both parts will be in one big story. I want keep both parts together and not start a new story just for part 2.**

 **Plus, I will not be adapting the Halloween and Christmas specials from either season. Those are just clip shows and they really don't impact the main story. (Although I will say Ghostest with the Mostest from season 1 was the most interesting of the bunch). Especially since the second Christmas special follows the events of the series finale and as I said way back when I started writing this story, I am changing what happens in the finale. I believe I am in the majority that was not satisfied with how the finale ended things for the show. Plus I will be changing a lot of the canon for Dino Super Charge compared to Dino Charge. I did mention most of these changes in the notes of the first chapter so you can go back and read that if you are curious. If you have specific questions about these changes just leave me a message.**

 **Also so you know, like I said last chapter Lucifer season 4 will premiere on Netflix on May 8th and my focus will be on that for a while. But I will start writing the next chapter once I finish that and chapter 21 should hopefully come out late May into June. But the next chapter will be a long one, probably longer than this one since I will be starting to write some of my own canon into the plot but still adapting some of Dino Super Charge. But just be prepared for the next chapter not coming out as soon as the last few chapters have been. Thank you to everyone who have been so patient with me while waiting for each chapter to come out and to those who reviewed/favorited this story. I really appreciated it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 20: One More Energem

Up on Sledge's ship, Wrench was working in his lab as he yelled at his Vivix, "Fool! Get your hazmat suit on! Why are you pouring without a mask? Ah! Am I the only one who cares about safety? Careful! This stuff will eat a hole right through the ship!" Poisandra entered the lab with some luggage and said, "Who cares about the ship? You pathetic pea-brains nearly ruined my beautiful luggage!" Wrench looked at all of the luggage she was carrying and asked, "Are you going somewhere?" "I'm leaving!" Poisandra informed Wrench. "This time, it's for good!" The lab doors opened and Sledge walked through saying, "Poisandra, my sweet! You can't go now! I finally have an Energem." Poisandra huffed and said, "You have one Energem! If you think I'm waiting a second longer for you to get all 10, you're crazy!" She turned around to leave, but Sledge stopped her and said, "But wait! Let me get just one more Energem, then I promise we'll get married!" Poisandra turned to face Sledge and asked, "One more? You promise?" "I do," Sledge answered. Poisandra squealed, hugged Sledge and said, "I like the sound of that!" "We're getting married," Curio said next to her. Poissandra took Curio's arm and skipped with him out of the lab. Sledge turned to Wrench with his Energem powered blaster and said, "It's time for the Rangers to fight against the power of an Energem, not with it."

Down in the Ranger command cave, Kendall was showing the others the new Get-Bot, which was in test mode trying to find Tyler's Energem, which it did under a towel. It beeped out, "Red Energem found." It picked it up and wheeled back to Kendall with Ivan saying, "Good heavens." Tyler reached down and take his Energem from the robot and said. "Awesome! It worked perfectly." Kendall smiled and said, "And that is how Get-Bot is going to find the Purple Energem on Sledge's ship." Riley bent down and picked up with robot while saying, "Yes, but how do we get it into a transport pod so Get-Bot can get up there?" "Sledge has an Energem now," Chase said. "I have a feeling we're going to see him sooner rather than later." "We need to counter Sledge's moves with everything we've got," Phillip said. Kendall nodded and turned to Zac and said, "We may need some of your extra strength too. Sledge is more powerful than ever." Zac sighed and said, "I will use my merman abilities only if I absolutely need to." Phillip cocked his head and said, "But with these last few battles you have been using them." "As a last resort," Zac countered. "And not majorly to draw too much suspicion. If Sledge found out what I am, then he will try to use that to his advantage and find a way to turn me against you guys. And expose my world to them. They could hunt my friends down and use them against us." The group bowed their heads as an apology, but Zac added, "But, if it comes to it, I may not have a choice in the matter. I will use my powers carefully but enough to get the job done." Everyone nodded as the computer beeped alerting them to a threat. Kendall walked over to the computer as Riley asked, "What is it, Ms. Morgan?" Kendall read out, "Transport pods are entering the atmosphere. Here's your chance." The Rangers nodded as Tyler said, "Let's go!" They ran out of the lab and to the coordinates that they saw on the screen.

They ran out to the woods where the coordinates led them, with Shelby saying, "These are the coordinates, but I don't see any pods." Suddenly they heard something above them as Tyler said, "Eyes up, guys!" They all looked up and saw five transport pods pass by overhead with Zac saying, "Wow! There are a lot of them." Kendall stepped forward and said, "Keep them distracted. Ivan and I will work around the the rear." The group nodded. Ivan and Kendall walked away as Tyler said, "Be careful. They've got an Energem. It's a whole new ballgame" Suddenly Zac heard something come toward them and he yelled, "Watch out!" They looked up and saw Sledge fly down as he aimed his blaster at the Rangers, freezing them in place, saying, "Surprise!" The Rangers struggled as Phillip said, "Can't move!" Sledge landed and said, "I am starting to see why you Rangers have been so tough to beat! These Energems are pretty powerful!" Kendall and Ivan snuck up to a pod with Kendall overhearing Sledge and said, "Pretty powerful is an understatement." Ivan saw the Rangers trapped and said, "They can't move. I must help them." Kendall shook her head and said, "Sledge is too powerful. You can't fight him on your own." Ivan reassured her, "Fear not. I know what to do." He ran off to execute his plan as Kendall put the Get-Bot into one of the pods saying, "Get-Bot, find us an Energem when Sledge returns to his ship." She hid behind the pod and watched Sledge approaching the Rangers saying, "Want to know how this is going to play out?" He walked up to Tyler and said, "First, I am going to take the red Energem…" Suddenly a laser blasted Sledge back. Riley whispered to Zac, "Was that you?" "No," Zac answered. "I can't do laser blasts." Suddenly Keeper appeared next to Tyler as he was the one who attacked Sledge and said, "You may have an Energem, but you'll never have the heart of a Ranger." The monsters all charged to attack Keeper, but Sledge kept them back and said, "Stay back! He's mine! You fooled me once, and today you finally pay for it!" Keeper and Sledge charged in and fought each other, but Keeper couldn't keep up with Sledge's Energem powered blaster, and was blasted off of his feet, dropping his staff near Tyler's feet, and all the Rangers shouted, "No!" Sledge's minions picked Keeper up and held him as Sledge said, "I'm not done with you yet, Keeper! Take him back to the ship and make him suffer!" His minions walked away with Keeper to the pods as Sledge turned and walked up to the Rangers and said, "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. First, I'm going to take the red Energem!" He reached out and pulled Tyler's Energem off of him, making Tyler drop to the ground and demorph. Sledge laughed and said, "It's mine now!

Over at the pods, Kendall saw the minions load Keeper into one of the pods as a Vivix was walking over to the one she was hiding behind. Kendall took a deep breath and said, "Keeper needs help. You have no choice, Kendall." She ran up and threw the Vivix in the nearby pod out and jumped in as it was closing.

Back with the Rangers, Sledge walked up to Koda and said, "One down, seven to go." Zac thought, "No! I can't let Sledge get all of our Energems. Looks like I have no choice." Under his helmet, his eyes glowed blue as he looked skyward and summoned as much wind as he could, creating a wind storm around the group. Sledge was about to take Koda's Energem but noticed the change in wind and said, "What? Where did this come from?" The wind picked up heavily, luckily with Sledge's trap still in effect the Rangers stayed glued to the ground as Zac directed the wind toward Sledge and threw him far away from the Rangers, causing the trap to let the Rangers loose. Zac smirked and relaxed the wind back down to normal. Tyler picked up Keeper's staff as Koda said, "We are free!" Sledge growled from where he landed and said, "I don't know what happened but your Energems will still be mine!" Suddenly Ivan came flying in on the Ptera Zord as the Rangers jumped, with Koda helping Tyler, into the Zord and they flew away from Sledge. Sledge roared, "No!" as the Rangers escaped. Chase blew out a sigh and said, "Ivan, thanks. Great timing!" Sledge growled and said, "I don't know where that wind came from, but I won't let those Rangers get away. Wrench, send in my biggest, baddest monster. Release the Green Zilla." He turned on his jetpack and flew away.

As the Ptera Zord was flying away, Chase looked around and asked, "Everyone OK?" "Yea," Koda said as he helped Tyler up. Riley looked over at Zac and said, "That wind storm was caused by you, wasn't it?" Zac nodded and said, "That was a last resort. I couldn't let Sledge take all of our Energems. Sorry that Sledge got away with yours, Tyler." Tyler shook his head and said, "It's not your fault. What matters is we got away before he could steal all of them." He looked at Keeper's staff in his hands and said, "Keeper's powerless without his staff." Koda looked around and asked, "Kendall? Where is Kendall?" Phillip pulled out his communicator and called Ms. Morgan, "Ms. Morgan, are you there?" Kendall answered, "Rangers, I'm in one of Sledge's transport pods. I'm going after Keeper!" "In Sledge's pod?" Shelby asked. "Ms. Morgan!" The connection was lost as the Green Zilla appeared on the Earth below, shaking the Ptera Zord. Ivan saw it and said, "It's a giant monster, and he could destroy Amber Beach!" "Not to mention everywhere else!" Zac added. Tyler looked on and said, "We gotta stop it." Koda turned to him and said, "But we have to rescue friends." Tyler thought about it and said, "OK. Let's split up. Chase, Koda, Riley, Ivan, and Phillip, use the Dino Charge Megazord to destroy that monster. Shelby, Zac, and I will take the Plesio Zord and try to get to Sledge's ship. Zac, I'm going to need some merman power to help us out." Zac nodded and said, "I'll try to use Riley's theory about power output to match the moon's input and see what happens. Hopefully it will be enough and I won't go moon crazy." Tyler nodded as Riley said, "You're going into outer space now?" Tyler nodded and said, "If you have a better idea, then I'm totally up for it. But Ms. Morgan and Keeper need our help." The Rangers thought for a moment and Phillip said, "We are with you." Tyler, Riley, and Chase summoned their Zords to make the Dino Charge Megazord. Chase, Koda, Riley, Ivan, and Phillip jumped into the Dino Charge Megazord as Chase said, "Let's do this!" At the same time, Tyler, Shelby, and Zac summoned the Plesio Zord and jumped into it with Tyler saying, "All systems go." Zac telepathically connected to the Plesio Zord and told it, "Hear that, Plesio? Let's go." The Plesio Zord took off out of its water base. The other Rangers stared down the Green Zilla as Phillip said, "Here it comes." Koda gulped and said, "That much bigger than mammoth!" The Green Zilla roared at the Dino Charge Megazord. The Plesio Zord was swimming through the ocean as Shelby turned to Tyler and said, "I'm worried about you, without your Energem." Tyler turned to her and said, "It's dangerous for all three of us. That's not gonna stop us, is it?" Shelby shook her head as Tyler asked Zac, "You ready for this, merman?" Zac nodded and said, "Let's shoot for the moon, no pun intended with that." Zac contacted the Plesio Zord and said, "Plesio Zord, let's go to space!" The Plesio Zord roared and blasted out of the water, heading for space.

The pods returned to Sledge's ship. Kendall walked out of hers with the Get-Bot wheeling out and went to look for the Energem. A door opened behind Kendall and she turned around and saw rows and rows of monsters in cells. "Oh no," Kendall said. She heard voices coming towards where she was and panicked. Looking around, she saw some hazmat suits nearby and quickly put one on. The doors opened again and Wrench came in holding Sledge's Energem powered blaster and said, "Those Rangers are pathetic! Now that we have two Energems we'll get the rest faster than a rocket powered dungeon." He took the Energem out of the blaster and put it in a briefcase. He turned and saw Kendall in the hazmat suit, mistaking her for a Vivix and told her, "Take this to the vault immediately!" He handed her the briefcase, Kendall realizing she had her chance, quickly took out the Energem when no one was looking, closed the briefcase, and gave it to a Vivix to take to the vault. She put the Energem in her pocket as the doors opened and Sledge came through saying, "Wrench! Your upgrade to my blaster worked perfectly! Now let's use the red Energem to turn the Magnabeam into a laser cannon!" "Interesting," Wrench said as Sledge handed him the red Energem. "I can do that." Sledge nodded in approval and said, "I almost had all of the other Energems in my grasp, if it wasn't for that freak wind storm knocking me backwards and letting the Rangers escape!" "Freak wind storm?" Wrench asked. "Yes," Sledge answered. "It came right the heck out of nowhere." Kendall stood there thinking and realized, "That must have been Zac. He must have used his powers as a last resort like he said." Wrench thought for a moment and said, "Wind storms just don't happen randomly. Either some device created it…" "Or someone created it instead," Sledge finished. "I believe someone created that wind storm to help the Rangers escape. Maybe it was someone I didn't see there. Or it could have been one of the Rangers themselves. Wrench, could they do that with the Energems?" Wrench shook his head and said, "Not from what I have studied about them. The Energems are more cosmic in nature, but they can also amplify existing characteristics and/or absorb energy, like your blaster." Sledge thought for a moment, then said, "Then we must keep our eyes open if this happens again. Either way, getting the Rangers' last seven Energems will be child's play thanks to our powered up Magnabeam." "Oh! Liar!" Poisandra suddenly entered the lab furious at Sledge. "You said one more Energem not six!" She stormed off upset with Sledge following her and said, "Wait, Poisandra. You don't understand. I'm so close! Poisy, darling! Wait!" He ran after Poisandra out of the lab and Wrench turned to the disguised Kendall and said, "Bring my tools. Let's go!" Kendall panicked but obeyed to hide her identity and went to grab Wrench's tools.

The Rangers down on Earth were not doing very well against Green Zilla, who just kept whacking them constantly. Phillip grunted and said, "Its power's on a whole other level." "Then we need to try a new formation," Ivan suggested. "Great idea," Chase said. The boys activated the Dino Charge Megazord Ptrea Formation to see if that will help even the odds.

Up in space, the Plesio Zord was approaching Sledge's ship. As soon as they entered space, Zac felt the moon's influence immediately. Shelby noticed his distress and asked, "Zac? Are you going to be OK?" Zac nodded and said, "Hopefully I will be OK. There is so much input coming through me right now. I am trying to use all of my energy to keep focused." Tyler spotted Sledge's ship and said, "Let's hope they don't see us." He suddenly had an idea, turned to Zac, and asked, "Zac? You can make yourself invisible right? Can you make other things invisible? Like us for instance?" Zac's eyes widened and said, "I don't know. I have never tried that before. I have only made myself invisible in the past. But the Plesio Zord?" Tyler nodded and said, "You just said you have lots of energy coursing through you right now. Use that and see if you can make us invisible." Zac nodded, put his hands on the ground, and said, "Here goes nothing." He closed his eyes and threw as much of his new energy as he could to the Plesio Zord, trying to make it invisible. Soon Shelby gasped and said, "Look! It's working!" Zac opened his eyes and saw that the Plesio Zord was becoming invisible. Then Zac grunted in pain and Tyler asked, "Zac? Are you OK?" Zac grunted and said, "Kind of. I don't think I can hold this up for very long. So we have to dock with Sledge's ship quickly. Even if that means that they see us once I lift the invisibility." Tyler nodded and said, "Then let's be quick."

Back in Wrench's lab, he was putting the Energem into the Magnabeam and said, "With this Energem, the converted laser cannon will be fully operational! Am I a genius or just brilliant?" Suddenly the alarms blared as Sledge's cameras detected the Plesio Zord docking with the ship. Wrench gasped and said, "Security alert? Who could that be?" Kendall gasped knowing it was the others coming to the ship. She grabbed a device and whacked the computer, disrupting the alarm with Wrench yelling, "Hey! Don't hit the console! Seize that donkey brained Vivix!" Some Vivix grabbed Kendall and removed the mask, revealing her identity. Wrench gasped and said, "Well, I'll be junked! How did this spectacled scientist get on our ship? Take that disgusting human where it belongs! The trash room!" They took her away to the trash room.

Up on the Plesio Zord, as soon as they docked, Zac released his grip on the Plesio Zord, causing the invisibility to lift. Zac fell to the ground exhausted and demorphed. Shelby ran over to him and also demorphed, kneeling by him and shouted, "Zac! Are you OK?" Zac opened his eyes and they flashed blue, starling Shelby and Tyler. Zac groaned and said, "That took a lot out of me. But I can feel the moon's power filling me with energy again. I should be OK in a minute." Tyler helped Zac up and said, "Just don't go crazy on us. We still have to find Keeper and Kendall." Zac nodded and said, "I hope so too. Riley's theory seems to be working so far. I'll just have to keep it up until we go back to Earth." Everyone nodded and ran into Sledge's ship. Tyler looked around, then heard foot stomps, knowing that Vivix were probably on their way. He turned to Zac and said, "Has enough of your energy come back?" Zac nodded and asked, "Why?" "We need you to make all of us invisible." Zac nodded and said, "Luckily you guys will be easy compared to the Plesio Zord. But we must be cautious. Now that I have demorphed, I can feel the moon's influence more greatly. So hopefully keeping up the invisibility will be enough to ward it off." Tyler and Shelby nodded in agreement. Zac said, "OK then, give me your hands." Tyler and Shelby each took one of Zac's hands. Then Zac focused and made all three of them invisible. "Now," Zac whispered. "We have to stay quiet. Just because they can't see us doesn't mean that could also hear us." "OK," Tyler and Shelby whispered back. "Which way should we go?" Shelby whispered. Soon the Get-Bot passed them and Tyler suggested, "Let's follow the robot."

The Rangers down on Earth were still having some trouble with Green Zilla, and Koda shouted, "Let's finish him!" The others nodded as the Megazord jumped into the air and the boys shouted, "Stego Saber!" Before they could unleash the final strike, Greenn ZIlla wrapped his tentacles around the Megazord and sent shockwaves to it, throwing it to the ground as well as the Rangers inside the cockpit. Koda groaned and said, "I see stars!" Riley groaned as well and said, "Guys, this isn't good." Phillip struggled to stand and said, "We must keep trying. The others are depending on us." Chase grunted and said, "We've got to get up!" They continued to struggle as Green Zilla started to walk towards them.

The Get-Bot was continuing its search for an Energem on Sledge's ship as Kendall was dragged into the trash room yelling, "Let go of me!" "Not a chance," Wrench said. "Things are about to heat up for you and your bug eyed friend in the incinerator!" Soon Keeper was brought in wearing chains as Kendall went up to him and asked, "Keeper, are you all right?" Keeper nodded and said, "I am unharmed. You should not have come after me." Kendall shook her haed, but saw some acid next to her and whispered to Keeper, "I have an idea." She hid some behind herself as Vivix dragged her and Keeper to the incinerator. Sledge came in laughing and said, "Keeper, I see you brought a friend to join you for your final moments. Toss them in!" Keeper and Kendall threw the Vivix aside and Kendall threw the acid onto the floor, creating a big hold in the floor of the ship. "What is she doing?" Sledge roared.

Kendall and Keeper jumped down the hold into the lever below, with some guards saying, "Hey! Where'd they come from? Get the weapons." The guards ran to get the weapons as Kendall and Keeper stood up with Keeper saying, "I'm still shackled!" "I got this!" Kendall said as she grabbed a pole nearby and fought off the guards to protect Keeper. The guards knocked her backwards and said, "You're brave for a human, but you're going to regret this." Suddenly Kendall felt the Energem in her pocket spark to life. She pulled it out and said, "What's happening?" Suddenly the Energem's light glowed and bonded with her, turning her into the Purple Ranger. She looked down at her new outfit and said, "What? It chose me!" "Yes," Keeper said. "A wise choice indeed." Soon the guards charged at the pair, but Kendall held them off with his Dino Sword as she said, "So this is what it feels like to be a Ranger." Suddenly the doors opened to at first what it looked like no one, but then a shimmer of light then revealed Zac, Tyler, and Shelby. Zac raised his hand to the guards and wind pushed them down to the ground, knocking them unconscious. Tyler turned to the pair and said, "Keeper! Purple Ranger?" Zac smirked sensing who was under the helmet of the Purple Ranger as Kendall turned around and used her sword to break Keeper's shackles as Keeper said, "You were always worthy of being a Ranger, Kendall. You only needed the opportunity to prove it." Tyler and Shelby's eyes widened when they heard Keeper say that Kendall was the Purple Ranger. Zac smirked and said, 'I know you had it in you, Ms. Morgan." Shelby gasped and said, "No way! Kendall?" Kendall nodded and said, "Yep, it's me, all right." Suddenly the alarms blared and Tyler said, "We can celebrate later! Let's go!" Tyler handed Keeper back his staff as the group made their way out of the lab.

Down on earth, the other Rangers were finally able to stand the Megazord back up as Chase said, "We're standing! Let's mix things up!" The boys yelled, "Activate Dino Charge Megazord AnkyloPachy Formation." "Good thing Zac left me one of his Dino Chargers," Phillip commented as the Megazord switched formations.

Kendall and Shelby were helping Keeper walk with Tyler and Zac in the rear as protection and Kendall said, "First, we need to get Keeper to safety. We'll get the red Energem later." She contacted the Rangers down on Earth. Chase answered, "Shelby, Tyler, Zac, have you found Keeper and Ms. Morgan?" "This is Ms. Morgan," Kendall replied. The other Rangers gasped and yelled, "What?!" Kendall nodded and said, "We've got Keeper and should be off the ship in a few minutes." Chase gasped and said, "Ms. Morgan, you're the Purple Ranger now?" Kendall nodded again and said, "We're on our way." Kendall ended communications as Shelby said, "Quickly, everybody. Let's go." Suddenly they heard Sledge growl behind the door in front of them. Zac motioned the girls to keep going with Keeper and Zac grabbed Tyler, making them invisible and leaned against a nearby wall. Soon Sledge and Wrench walked through the corridor with Sledge saying, "Wrench, give me an update! Is the red Energem installed?" "Yes, sir," Wrench answered. "Our new laser cannon will be powerful enough to destroy that Mega Zord with one blast! Not to mention destroy the Earth if we direct the beam to it." "Excellent!" Sledge said. "Lock down the ship and find those Rangers or I'll put you both down the trash grinder! Remember, keep your eyes open for anything unusual." The monsters walked away as Zac lifted his and Tyler's invisibility and said, "That's not good." "We need to warn the others," Tyler said and both boys ran after the girls and Keeper. After they left, Get-Bot zoomed down the corridor still looking for an Energem.

Tyler and Zac caught up with the others and Shelby said, "Tyler, Zac, let's go." Tyler stopped her and said, "Sledge is using the red Energem to power the ship's lasers." "He's planning to destroy the Megazord," Zac said. "And also might possibly destroy Earth." Shelby and Kendall gasped as Shelby said, "Come on, we've got to work the others." Tyler and Zac stood their ground as Shelby said, "What are you two doing? We need to go!" "I have to find the red Energem," Tyler said. "It's the only way to stop Sledge." "Plus we need to protect our home," Zac said. "And I am not going to let that happen." His eyes glowed blue shocking the others. The alarms then blared and Zac turned to Tyler and said, "We need to go. Now. Before it's too late." Shelby ran up to the boys and said, "I'll come with you." "No," Tyler stopped her. 'The others need the Plesio Zord and all the Ranger strength we can find." Shelby turned to Zac and said, "What about you, Zac?" Zac's eyes continued to glow blue and said, "I have to help Tyler. With me by his side, Sledge will be no match for us. Mark my words, I will protect him, Shelby. And make that monster pay for wanting to destroy my home! Don't make me force you back to the ship!" Shelby gulped at Zac's intensity, knowing that the moon spell had partially taken hold of Zac, who raised his hands toward the girls and Keeper, making his threat known. Tyler looked at Zac and said, "Breath, Zac. Don't let it take control." Zac closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. He opened his eyes to reveal the glowing blue was gone, turned to the girls and Keeper and said, "Sorry. The moon's power is too strong. It's getting hard to hold it back. I am not outputting enough to counter it." Keeper stepped up and said, "Remember what you are trying to protect, Zac. Let that help put off the edge. But also embrace who you are." Zac cocked his head in confusion as Kendall explained, "What Keeper means is if it calls for it, let those monsters have it. Show them that you will not go down without a fight. But don't go overboard with it, least of all reveal what you are to them. So use your full strength, but be careful with how you do it to avoid discovery." Zac nodded as he and Tyler ran after Sledge, leaving the girls and Keeper to run back to the Plesio Zord, reaching it and taking off back for Earth.

Kendall contacted the others and said, "Chase, we're coming." The boys grunted as the Green Zilla attacked them again. Phillip growled and yelled, "Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball!" The attack hit Green Zilla, but it also rebound attacked the Megazord. Green Zilla used this as an advantage and shot a laser beam at the Megazord. Koda groaned and said, "It's so strong!" "They're counting on us!" Chase said. "But's it's too powerful," Riley countered. The boys fell to the ground just as the Plesio Zord came over them and the girls yelled, "Activate Plesio Charge Megazord." The Plesio Zord shifted into its Megazord form as Kendall said, "Let's do this!" The boys in the other Megazord grunted in pain as Phillip said, "We have to keep fighting." But soon the Megazord starting losing parts of itself as Ivan shouted, "We are going down!" The Megazord fell to the ground and the boys were thrown out of the cockpit down to the ground. The Plesio Megazord flew down and Kendall shouted, "Plesio, land!" The Plesio Megazord landed as the boys got up and Koda said, "Look! The Plesio Charge Megazord!" The new Megazord was attacking with speed as Riley said, "Good job, Shelby and Ms. Morgan!" Suddenly Keeper appeared next to the boys and Ivan gasped, "It's Keeper!" "Oh!" Chase said, "You're OK!" "Yes," Keeper answered. "But Tyler and Zac stayed on Sledge's ship and needs your help." Riley looked at Keeper and asked, "Is my theory helping Zac?" Keeper nodded and said, "Somewhat. The moon's power is starting to become too much for him. You have to get up there before he loses full control of his actions. And help Tyler retrieve his Energem." Chase nodded and said, "Got it. Plesio can handle Green Zilla until we get back. We have to help Tyler and Zac before it's too late." The boys ran back to the Dino Charge Megazord as Shelby and Kendall attacked with the Plesio Rocket Punch. The Green Zilla was knocked backwards as Kendall said, "Yeah! Controlling a Megazord is amazing!"

Up on Sledge's ship, the Get-Bot went passed some Vivix who looked at it confused. Suddenly, Tyler and Zac rounded the corner as Zac wind pushed all of them out of the way as he and Tyler kept running. Zac scanned ahead with his advance eyesight and saw the bridge doors about to close. "Tyler!" Zac shouted. "We need to get to the bridge!" He raised his hand up to the door using his powers to hold it open as he and Tyler ran past them, and Zac let go of his hold and the doors closed behind them. Tyler pulled out his Dino Morpher as Zac said, "Won't need mine. Need to keep the output up." Tyler nodded as they walked toward the bridge. As they entered, Tyler shot one Vivix down and Zac used his wind powers to throw one to a nearby wall. Tyler turned to Zac and asked, "Can you see where it is?" Zac scanned the room and saw a glow coming from under the red button of the Magnabeam. He pointed to it and said, "There!" As Tyler approached the machine and tried to pull out his Energem, suddenly a laser fired near him and Tyler jumped out of way to the ground. Sledge laughed and said, "You're not so tough without your Energem, Red Ranger." He turned to Zac and said, "And you can join him in destruction." He fired at Zac, but Zac used the Turn the Tide move Weilen taught him and sent the laser right back at Sledge, knocking him back a bit. He looked up at Zac and realized, "So, it was you would created that wind storm and helped your friends escape from my grasp. You seem to have some secrets about you." Suddenly Wrench grabbed Zac into his strong grip, holding Zac in place as Sledge approached and said, "What have you been hiding?" Zac growled as his eyes glowed blue and said, "Like I would ever tell you! You will be sorry if you don't let me go. Not mention sorry for wanting to destroy my home!" Sledge laughed and said, "We'll see about that, little Ranger." Wrench looked at Sledge and said, "The laser cannon is locked onto the Megazord and the Earth below it!" Sledge walked over to the Magnabeam and said, "Now you both can watch as I destroy your friends and your puny planet! Then I will see what makes you tick, aqua Ranger and I will destroy your red Ranger friend here." Zac grunted and tried to break free using his extra energy, but Wrench was surprisingly strong for a monster his size. Sledge raised his hand and dropped it on the red button as Tyler and Zac shouted, "No!"

But nothing happened. Sledge shouted, "What?" He turned to Zac and yelled, "What did you do to my Magnabeam?!" Zac smirked and said, 'Don't look at me. My hands are tied at the moment." Tyler looked over and saw the Get-Bot holding his Energem to him as it was the one to power down the Magnabeam. Sledge looked under the Magnabeam and saw the red Energem gone and said, "Then where did my Energem go?" "I'll give you one guess," Tyler said behind him. Sledge turned and saw Tyler powered up as the Red Ranger as Tyler said, "Oh! I've been looking forward to this!" "Me too!" Sledge roared as he and Tyler charged into battle. Zac smirked at Wrench and said, "And I've been looking forward to doing this!" His eyes glowed heavily as he clinched his fists and unleashed his powers to overheat the ship, causing sparks to fly everywhere and wind to pick up on the bridge. Wrench let go of Zac out of fear and asked, "What are you?" Zac morphed into his Power Ranger armor and said, "Someone you should not have messed with!" He the wind pushed Wrench back into the navigation console at the same time Tyler T-Rex punched Sledge into the same console. Wrench cried, "Master Sledge! The navigation console is destroyed! And the ship is overheating and losing power." Suddenly the ship launched downwards toward Earth as the computer said, "Danger! Evacuate ship immediately!" Tyler looked at Zac and said, "We need to get out of here, now!" Tyler ran off the bridge as sparks continued to fly everywhere and machines blowing up. Zac ran after him, but Sledge yelled, "You will pay for this, Aqua Ranger. I will find out what you are, and make you suffer as well as your friends." Zac smirked and said, "Keep dreaming that, Sledge." And he wind pushed Sledge and Wrench further into the bridge towards the explosions. Zac turned and ran to catch up with Tyler as the computer said, "Danger! All systems failing!"

The ship was staring to enter Earth's atmosphere as Tyler and Zac entered the pod bay. They saw a Vivix take the last pod out of the ship. Tyler shouted, "Oh no! Looks like that was the last pod!" Suddenly Zac fell to the ground weak. Tyler rushed over and said, "Zac! Are you OK?" Zac groaned and said, "Used too much energy. Now that we are back in Earth's atmosphere, I am not getting any extra power from the moon and its influence no longer has a hold of me for the adrenaline boost. Plus, it's too hot. My kind aren't that great with intense heat. Feel likes I'm suffocating." Tyler looked around and said, "Looks like we only have one choice." He picked Zac up and walked over to the launch button and pressed it, causing part of the floor to open up to the approaching ground below. "Looks like we're going to have to jump for it, Zac. I wish you could see me now, Dad! It's about to get wild!" Zac looked at him and said, "Are you crazy? Then again, I can be too." They both jumped out and starting sky falling to the ground.

Wrench was trying to fix the machines on the bridge and said, "You need to stabilize the thrusters!" Fury stumbled in and said, "What happened? What caused all of this damage to the ship?" Sledge turned to Fury and said, "The red and aqua Rangers destroyed the navigation console. But that aqua Ranger has some hidden tricks up his sleeve and caused the ship to malfunction." "What?" Fury roared. "It's true," Wrench said. "The aqua Ranger is not a normal human being. He just somehow caused the whole ship to overheat and explode. I don't know how he did that. But we are going down fast." Poisandra came in and said, "You just had to have one more Energem! You're a half-brain!" Sledge glared at her and said, "After 65 million years, you're just now figuring that out?" "We're going down!" Fury roared.

The ship crashed into the mountains below as Tyler and Zac the explosion the crash created. Tyler sighed and said, "Looks like this is the end for us, Sledge." Zac looked over at Tyler and said, "I could try to slow us down." He tried to push against the wind to slow them down, but then the Ptera Zord flew to the pair and plucked them out of the sky, putting the pair in the cockpit with the other male Rangers. Ivan looked at the pair and told Tyler, "You do like to live dangerously, Sir Tyler, Prince Zac." He saw Zac lying on the ground in pain and he kneeled to Zac and said, "Prince Zac, are you alright? You look weak." Zac nodded and said, "I'm fine. Just used too much of my powers for that last attack." Phillip's eyes widened as he said, "You caused Sledge's ship to explode and crash?" Zac nodded weakly and said, "With some help from Tyler." Phillip walked over and helped Zac to his feet as Ivan helped Tyler to his feet as Tyler said, "I knew you guys would be there for me." Chase chuckled and said, "Darn right we would be there for you. We'll always be there." "Thanks guys," Tyler said. "Next time," Zac told Tyler. "Clue me into that part of the plan. So then I won't have to waste my energy trying to save us." Tyler flinched and said, "Sorry, Zac. But you did great back there. You kept control." Zac nodded and said, "Thanks." Ivan contacted Shelby and Kendall and reported, "Shelby, Ms. Morgan, Sledge's ship has crashed! We've got Tyler and Zac, and we're heading your way."

The Ptera Zord flew past the two Megazords and the boys jumped down into the Plesio Megazord. The T-Rex Lord roared as Tyler laughed and said, "Relax, Rexy. I'm OK, buddy!" The Ankylo Zord roared too as Zac chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Ankylo. I would never abandon you." He heard the Plesio Zord growl in response as Zac sighed and said, "Same with you Plesio. Besides Plesio, you know have a new guardian to look after you." He looked at Kendall who smiled and said, "Thanks, Zac." Shelby gasped and said, "You got your Energem back!" "Absolutely!" Tyler said. "And Sledge is history!" Zac added. The Rangers cheered as Shelby told Tyler and Zac, "You two had all of us scared." Zac smiled and said, "You know I can take care of myself, Shelby. Plus I had to look after this crazy head for you." Tyler chuckled and said, "My dad used to say, it's all part of the adventure. We've never been stronger. Let's finish that monster and end this for good!" Everyone nodded and they yelled, "Activate Plesio Charge Megazord PachyRex Formation!" The Megazord combined into its newest formation as the Rangers yelled, "Dinosaur might, ready to fight!" The Green Zilla kept firing lasers at the Megazod, but it walked right through them as Tyler said, "Time to take down this last monster!" It attacked Green Zilla head on as Phillip yelled, "Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball!" The attack worked this time, knocking the Green Zilla back. It tried to use its tentacle attack again, but the Rangers were prepared this time and used the head of the Plesio Zord to grab them and rip them away from the Green Zilla. The monster groaned in pain as Kendall said, "You know what to do!" Everyone nodded and yelled, "T-Rex Blast!" They fired at the Green Zilla, stunning it, and the Rangers yelled, "Three! Two! One! Galactic Blast!" They fired at Green Zilla and the monster exploded, and the Rangers cheered and said, "Monster extinct!"

Back at the Rangers' command cave, Kendall put her new Energem into the rock bed as Keeper said, "Nine of the Energems have been returned. Thank you, Rangers. Koda, Ivan, and of course, Kendall will help me find the last two." Kendall nodded and said, "With Sledge finally gone, the rest of yo can return to your lives and do whatever you like." The other Rangers had their luggage sitting next to them as they listened to Kendall. Zac sighed. It was a coincidence that the summer was about to end as their fight with Sledge ended. His mission with the Rangers was finished. Now he could return home and face his destiny, with some compromises of course. He really had to sit down with his parents and Nerissa to talk those out. Keeper continued, "Until the last Energem is found, you will remain bound to your dinosaur spirit. If ever we need your help, you'll know." Zac smiled; he had a feeling that his mission may not have been completely over. He knew that he had to keep his Energem safe. Phillip stepped forward and said, "It's been an honor to fight beside all of you. Everyone is welcome to Zandar whenever they like." "The honor was ours, Your Highness," Ivan said. Phillip turned to Zac and said, "And to you Zac, thank you for helping me see the bigger picture in all of this, along with Koda. And I hope I have taught you a thing or two as well." Zac chuckled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." Everyone gasped as Zac finally gave Phillip the royal respect he deserves. But Phillip bowed to Zac and said, "No, thank you, Your Highness. May your future be bright." Ivan also bowed and said, 'It was also an honor to serve you, Prince Zac." He turned to the others and said, "I'm going to miss you, one and all." Chase sighed and said, "Well, I'm going home to New Zealand. If anyone comes over, look me up." Koda sniffed back some tears as he cried, "My family!" He ran over and hugged Tyler and Shelby tightly. Everyone soon entered the embrace. Zac backed away and said, "And since my summer vacation is almost up, I'm heading home to the Gold Coast. If anyone heads there, I'll be waiting. Mimmi too." Everyone nodded and Tyler, Chase, Riley, Shelby, Zac, and Phillip walked out of the lab to head out on their own.

Tyler was packing up his Jeep when Shelby walked over and asked, "So, where are you headed?" Tyler held up his dad's journal and said, "Wherever the next page leads me." Shelby nodded and said, "Still looking for your dad, huh?" "Yea," Tyler answered. "For as long as it takes." He thought for a moment and asked, "You wanna help? I could use a know-it-all." Shelby smiled and said, "Sure." Tyler took her luggage and put it into his Jeep and they drove out of the garage. They saw Riley struggling with his moped and Tyler asked, "You need a ride?" "We're headed your way," Shelby added. Riley looked at them and said, "Yeah." He loaded his luggage and moped onto the back of Tyler's Jeep and got in as Shelby said, "Is this deja vu or what?" The trio chuckled as the remembered back to when they all meet as Tyler helped Shelby, and then they found Riley on the side of the road toward the museum. Riley said, "So guys, I have a theory where that last Energem might be." And the Jeep drove away as Riley started explaining his theory.

Zac's plane landed in Australia. Cam, Evie, and Mimmi were waiting for him at the gate. Soon Mimmi felt him near and said, "He's coming!" The trio looked up and saw Zac walking toward the group with a big smile on his face. Mimmi ran up to him and gave him a big hug saying, "You're back!" Zac laughed and said, "You just saw me a few weeks ago." Cam shyly came up and said, "Sorry about that. I may have slipped up where you were at that time." Zac shook his head and said, "No worries, man. It turned out good in the end." Evie came up and gave him a quick kiss saying, "Welcome home." Zac sighed and said, "It's good to be home. Where's Ordina?" Mimmi answered, "She's with the pod right now. We can see her later." Zac chuckled as Cam said, "So, how was it? Being a… you know?" Zac sighed and said, "It was amazing. I learned so much from my time there. And made some new friends along the way. But they will never replace you guys. Just think of them as part of the group." He turned to Mimmi and said, "Can you get Nerissa and meet me at my parents' house? It's time for that talk." Mimmi nodded and ran off as Evie asked, "What's that about?" Zac sighed and said, "I had a lot of time to think and I have reached my decision about embracing my destiny. I'll tell you guys later once I have talked things over with my parents and Nerissa. But I will say I am not abandoning you guys at all. I am just going to make some compromises." Cam and Evie smiled as they walked to Cam's car to head home.

Zac opened the front door to his house and was suddenly wrapped into a hug with his mother who cried, "Zac! Welcome home!" Zac laughed and returned the hug saying, "It's good to be home Mom." His dad walked over and asked, "How was your summer program in California?" Zac smiled knowing what his program was really about and told his dad, "Wonderful. I learned so much through it. I think it will help me out with my classes for senior year. Plus, Ms. Morgan, the director, said that if I wanted to do a school abroad program during my senior year, I could." (Even though Zac kept the real reason why he could return overseas a secret) "That's my boy," Mr. Blakely said. "If that's what you want to do, just let us know. But we will have to think about some finance stuff before then. It wasn't cheap to send and keep you over there." Mrs. Blakely looked at Zac and said, "Have you thought about what you are doing to do with your merman life yet?" Zac nodded and said, "Well," then suddenly there was a knock at the door. Zac sighed and said, "I think the other part of the conversation has arrived." His parents got confused looks on their faces as Zac opened the door and saw Nerissa and Mimmi on the other side. Nerissa gave Zac a hug and said, "Welcome home, Zac. Your sister tells me you have something to discuss with me." Zac nodded and turned to his parents saying, "I invited them here because this concerns all of you. You may want to sit down."

Both parties sat down as Zac said, "I have been thinking about my destiny as a royal merman. And I have decided to embrace it with Mimmi. Wait, mom and dad, let me finish. Even though I am agreeing to do this, there are some compromises I want to make. Nerissa, one, I am not yet ready to go as I told you earlier and I am closer to being ready, but right now is not the time. I feel there is still so much Mimmi and I need to learn before we embrace this. So I feel that lessons with you will help in that regard. Two, I want to finish my senior year of high school. My land education means a lot to my parents, and me to an extent, and I want to honor that for them. So my senior year starts next week. In nine months time, I will graduate and then I will be ready. And three, I don't want to be completely tied off from my family and friends on land. You left me here on land to protect me, but I also have lived a full human life up till this point. I don't want to throw away everything that I have learned, gained, and loved here. I want to make visits as often as I can back here to see everyone. Mimmi will be strong enough to hold the fort down while I am away. Now, do both parties agree to those terms?" Nerissa thought for a moment and said, "A few months ago, I would have not agreed to that." Mr. and Mrs. Blakely were about to argue back but Nerissa put her hand up and said, "But after what you have shown me, I have changed my mind. I will agree to your terms. I will help teach you and Mimmi everything you need to know before we head home to your birth father and take up your throne. Mimmi, I assume you agree with Zac?" Mimmi nodded and said, "All the way." Zac smiled and looked back at his parents and asked, "Do you agree to the terms?" Mr. and Mrs. Blakely looked at each other, then his father said, "We will support you with whatever choice you make. We are proud of the man you have become. And we appreciate the fact that you will stay until high school has ended and that you will make visits to us whenever you can." Mrs. Blakely nodded in agreement and said, "That doesn't mean we won't miss you when you leave." Zac knelt down and said, "You may not be my biological parents, but you are still my parents. I love you both very much and I will never abandon you guys." His parents pulled them into a hug. Nerissa cleared her throat and said, "Well, Zac, how about we start those lessons now? We can go visit the pod quickly, then meet up at the moon pool for your first lesson. I promise to bring you back before the sun sets." The Blakelys nodded as Zac, Mimmi, and Nerissa walked out the door, ran to the dock, and dove into the ocean, heading for Mako Island.

Oh how Zac missed this. He wasn't able to swim as much as he wanted in Amber Beach due to his lessons with Ms. Morgan, Phillip, and Keeper and the constant Ranger duties he had to attend to, but just swimming freely out in his familiar ocean felt amazing to him. Soon the three stopped just outside of Mako as they saw the pod had gathered together for the day. They popped their heads out of the water seeing all of the mermaids as Ordina saw them and said, "Zac! You're back!" She swam over and gave Zac a hug. Zac gingerly returned the hug and said, "That's surprising Ordina. You've never hugged me in the past." Ordina splashed him in response and said, "Well, I did miss you. Plus, who had to put up with Mimmi being depressed all the time while you were away?" Zac chuckled and said, "Thanks for that." Ordina smiled and said, "Guess what? Word has spread to Serena, Lyla, and Nixie. Serena will be returning soon with Aquata and Lyla and Nixie are returning with the other mermaids from the new home hunt soon." Mimmi and Zac smiled at that as Verida, the head of the mermaid council, swam up and said, "Welcome back Zac. I hope your travels went well." Zac nodded as Verida continued, "While you were away, Nerissa helped the mermaid council see as to why you and Mimmi have to head to the ancient city to reclaim the lost throne. We agree that thanks to your choices and actions in the past, you have helped us see that mermaids and merman can reunite again as in days of old to avoid more war and bloodshed. You and your sister can help do that for all of us. I will warn you that not everyone will agree with this, but maybe you can help them see your side as you did with us. When will you and Mimmi be leaving?" Nerissa swam up and said, "Not for a few months. Zac opened my eyes to see that we just can't go in blindly and take back the throne. You are right, there are those who are opposed to this and we must be prepared to face them or help them see our side. Plus, my children still have much to learn about their powers and destinies. I want to prepare them the best I can before we leave for the ancient city." Verida nodded and asked, "And does your beloved know this as well?" Mimmi and Zac looked at each other; they knew that Verida was talking about their birth father. Nerissa just smiled and said, "He will, in his own way. Now, Mimmi and Zac have their first lesson with me right now at the moon pool. If you will excuse us." She dove underwater and headed to the moon pool. Ordina swam over and said, "What lessons?" Mimmi laughed and said, "I'll tell you later." She dove underwater leaving Zac with Ordina and Verida.

Verida looked at Zac and said, "I want to personally apologize to you Zac. My fellow mermaids and I have treated you so badly due to our previous prejudice. Can you forgive us?" Zac smiled and said, "Of course, Verida. I thank you for letting me join your pod despite those prejudices." Verida laughed and turned to Ordina and said, "You too." Ordina nodded and said, "I apologize too Zac. I am sorry that I caused you so much trouble. And accidentally help make Evie a mermaid. Do you forgive me?" Zac nodded and said, "You had my forgiveness for a long time, Ordina. You deserve it." He then down underwater and swam to the moon pool.

"What kept you, brother?" Mimmi asked. Zac sighed and said, "Verida and the pod wanted to apologize to me about their past behaviors. Even Ordina, even though this was apology number 4 from her." Mimmi giggled and said, "She just feels bad for everything that went down. You can't blame her." Nerissa smiled and said, "It amazes me how you two helped change popular belief in those mermaids more than I ever could. When they found out about your father and I, they did not forgive me for the longest time." "Can you tell us more about our father?" Mimmi asked. Nerissa sighed and said, "One day. I think soon you two will meet him. But that's a story for another day. Right now, it's time for your first lesson."

She looked over at Zac who was starting at the fossil where he found his Energem. "Zac," Nerissa said. "Are you OK?" Zac looked back at Nerissa and said, "Yes. I was just looking at the spot where all of my recent adventures started. With that fossil." Mimmi swam over and looked at the fossil and asked, "This is where you found that stone you mentioned?" Zac nodded and Nerissa asked, "What stone?" Zac then concentrated and called his Energem from his human form to his merman form, appearing around his neck. He took it off the necklace and said, "It's called an Energem. I found it right over there on that fossil that is embedded to the walls of the moon pool. That's one of the reasons I left for the summer." "May I see it?" Nerissa asked. Zac handed her the Energem and Nerissa said, "Amazing. It seems to have some of the same properties as our moon rings. Maybe they were based off of this stone in a way." Mimmi looked at it and said, 'I agree. I sense that its power is different, but it also has some similar energy to our moon rings. Maybe they can both do similar things. Like absorb moon energy." Zac looked at her and said, "It could? I didn't know that. It always seemed to repel moon energy because I wanted it too." Nerissa sighed and said, "That may be true, but perhaps if you change it to absorb moon energy, then you could use this stone to store extra moon energy and use it whenever you need to. I could teach you some of the spells that we do with our moon rings as they are slightly different to what you have been used to on your own. I could teach you one now as part of your first lesson." Zac turned to Nerissa and said, "I would like that."

Suddenly they heard a roar near the back of the moon pool chamber. Mimmi and Nerissa were startled and Nerissa asked, "What was that?" Zac just smiled as he knew who the roar belonged to. He turned to his mother and sister and asked, "If I think that's who I think it is, can you guys come meet a new friend of mine?" He pulled himself out of the moon pool and dried himself off, Mimmi and Nerissa doing the same. Zac held his Energem up and it started to glow. "Follow me," he told Mimmi and Nerissa and walked back through a tunnel that appeared magically in front of him. Soon the trio came to a big cavern and Zac looked up and saw the Ankylo Zord looking down at him. Nerissa jumped back a little with Mimmi holding onto her for comfort. Zac laughed, turned around and said, "It's OK. This is a friend of mine. We are connected through the Energem. Guys, meet the Ankylo Zord." The Zord cooed as Zac reached a hand out to pet it as Zac said, '"Ankylo, this is Nerissa, my mother, and Mimmi, my sister. They are nice and will not harm you." Mimmi stepped forward and reached her hand up. The Ankylo Zord reached down and meet her hand and cooed into it, causing Mimmi to smile. She turned to Zac and said, "He seems friendly. Did I hear him just say nice to meet you to me?" Zac nodded and said, "Our telepathy has grown with our other powers thanks to the Energem boosting our growth of them. I can actually understand all of the Zords as well." He turned to the Ankylo Zord and said, "You just want to make Plesio jealous don't you?" The Ankylo Zord roared with happiness as Zac said, "I thought so." Nerissa stepped forward and said, "Well, it seems like this must have been his home long before the mermaids made this island their home." Zac nodded and said, "He must have walked all the way back here under the ocean like he did when I went overseas to find me again. I think he wants me to visit him regularly now that we are back home." Nerissa nodded and said, "I think he will like that too." The Ankylo Zord roared as Zac said, "Not so loud, buddy. We probably don't want the mermaid council to find out about you." Nerissa nodded and said, "I agree. It took them a long time to convince them about yours and Mimmi's royal destines, but this along with your Ranger duties may need to stay just between us for now. Speaking of, I would like to hear what that was all about." "I do too." Mimmi said. "What was it like to be a Power Ranger?" Zac smiled and said, "Well, it all started after I pulled the Energem out of the moon pool wall…"

At Sledge's crashed ship, sparks were flying everywhere and lights were flickering on and off. Down at solitary confinement, a voice from Heckyl's cell said, "It's my turn now!" It laughed as the cell doors opened and its yellow eyes pierced through the darkness….


	21. Chapter 21: When Evil Stirs

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Hello everybody! I finished this chapter sooner than I thought. And like I said in the last chapter, this chapter is a long one. (19 pages!) Like I also said, I will still be adapting episodes from Dino Super Charge, but creating more of my own canon and not following the episodes as much as Dino Charge. Enjoy!**

Chapter 21: When Evil Stirs

The alarm blared throughout Zac's room as the sleeping merman was startled awake by the blaring noise. Groaning, Zac hit the alarm to turn it off. He could have just hit snooze and sleep for a few more minutes, but since this summer, he has not been getting as much sleep as he has been. The time jump from Australia to California was one cause as he was still use to the time change. Another cause would be that him being a Power Ranger has now put him always on guard. Sure the threat was over, but Zac always seemed to have a sense of dread that the threat would return so he always wanted to be ready. He would sometimes have nightmares either based off of his previous battles that would instead end badly for him and the other Rangers, or a nightmare about the threat returning and would end with him seeing his team destroyed and him captured. Those last words of Sledge never left him, "You will pay for this, Aqua Ranger. I will find out what you are, and make you suffer as well as your friends." Zac shook off the memory. He did not regret going full moon crazed merman on Sledge, but he had a feeling that he might feel the consequences for those actions later.

He has told these fears to Mimmi and Nerissa during their daily lessons at Mako. Luckily, Mimmi had been making some remedies for him so that he could get some nights of peaceful sleep. And Nerissa was helping him calm his mind as his powers grow. She really kept her word on waiting for Zac and Mimmi to be ready for the twins to return with her to the ancient city near the Northern Pod where their father is waiting. He and Mimmi have been making progress on their powers; their previous powers (water bending, freezing, boiling, invisibility, wind bending, telepathy, telekinesis, enhanced eyesight, sense radar, healing, and other magic) have gotten significantly stronger through the past few months, with the Energem helping with that growth. Nerissa was amazed at the Energem and how much like moon stones it was. But Mimmi and Zac have also gotten new powers in the past few weeks that the twins were getting some training on thanks to Nerissa. They could summon thunder clouds and bring lightning down. They could create snow storms and boil water to the point that it would create fire (which Zac learned the hard way when he accidentally burned a tree on Mako Island that Nerissa immediately put out). Their telepathy was so advanced that they could understand all the creatures of the seas without having to learn every language (even though Mimmi was still good at talking whale compared to Zac). Nerissa was impressed with the progress that the twins have made and thought that they would soon be ready to take their birthrights. But she respected Zac's wishes to finish high school, which his senior year started 2 months ago. Zac sighed. He has learned a lot from Nerissa, but trying to balance school, friends, and these lessons were not easy. However he was surprised from time to time during his lessons. Like he remembered last week when he and Mimmi were learning about spells….

 _"_ _Spells can be used in different ways," Nerissa told Mimmi and Zac as they floated in the moon pool. "It can be done through potions, enchanted artifacts, like the one used to free me, or through word of mouth." "I have done some in the past," Mimmi said. "Obviously we found the dragon bracelet to free you from the water dragon curse. Earlier I used a transformation potion to try to help Evie become human again.." "Which I had to stop you since it did not work and Evie was almost exposed at the cafe," Zac interrupted. "I didn't say it was successful," Mimmi retorted. "Also I tried using a potion to turn her back into a mermaid," "Which again did not work," Zac interrupted again. "Zac!" Mimmi shouted. "I get it! My potions were not a success!" "Children!" Nerissa shouted getting the twins' attention. "Zac, yes Mimmi's potions were not a success, but trying and failing will help you learn to succeed later." Zac bowed his head and turned to Mimmi and said, "Sorry, sis." Mimmi smiled and said, "It's OK, brother." Nerissa cleared her throat and said, "Word of mouth spells are stronger than potions though. Mainly through singing." Zac paled and said, "But I can't sing. Hasn't that always been just a mermaid thing. Do merman even sing themselves." Nerissa nodded and said, "Yes, mermaids are better known for their singing spells, but merman can sing just as well. They just haven't used it as much since the wars. Mimmi, have you any examples?" Mimmi nodded and said, "Sirena was once enchanted with a forbidden Northern siren song. I was immune due to being a Northern mermaid, so I used a counter song to break her enchantment." Nerissa smiled and said, "Exactly. Did you know the words beforehand?" Mimmi thought for a moment and said, "No. It just came to me, I guess. Luckily Ordina just went along with me." Nerissa nodded, turned to Zac and said, "Have you ever had a song just come to you, for no reason or because you were trying to do something?" Zac thought for a moment, then he remembered when he healed Phillip, and said, "A few months ago, a monster was after a friend of mine, Prince Phillip. We got away, but Phillip got injured due to our fall over the hill. I felt responsible and remembered that I had gotten the healing power a few months earlier, though I hadn't used it on other people. I put my hands on his wound, then I remember humming a song that I didn't know the words to." "Can you hum for me?" Nerissa asked. Zac nodded and hummed the song. Nerissa gasped and said, "Impossible!" "What?" Zac asked. "That is the tune to the one song that many mermaids have thought to be gone forever," Nerissa explained. "What song?" Mimmi asked. "The Moon Song," Nerissa answered. "It's a song only passed down from royal to royal since if someone evil knew the words, they could use it to their own advantage. It could not only heal injuries, but even raise the dead and break the strongest of curses." "Could it have broken yours?" Zac asked. Nerissa nodded and said, "However, its strength depended on the moon. If it was a new moon, it could only heal minor injuries. But during a full moon, it would bring death to life again and break very powerful curses, like why the dragon bracelet would only work during the full moon." She looked around and found a sharp rock near the moon pool. She picked it up and cut her hand on it, starling Mimmi and Zac. She smiled and said, "Don't worry. It's just to help with the demonstration. Since your father is a royal, he knew the song and taught it to me in secret, knowing that I would never pass it on, only to you two. Now close your eyes." Zac and Mimmi closed their eyes. "Take deep breaths. Open your minds. And let the song come to you." Zac and Mimmi did those things and soon all three started to sing._

 _"_ _Moonlight, gleam and glow._

 _Let your power shine._

 _Make the clock reverse._

 _Bring back what once was mine._

 _Heal what has been hurt._

 _Change the fate's design._

 _Save what has been lost._

 _Bring back what once was mine._

 _What once was mine."_

 _They opened their eyes and saw that Nerissa's hand was completely healed. Zac smiled and said, "It worked. But I do feel like that took a lot out of me." Nerissa nodded and said, "It takes practice. Plus you should not use it all the time. Only when absolutely necessary."_

Zac smiled at the memory. He had noticed that his singing has gotten better after his merman form was reawakened, since Evie did point it out one time when they were cleaning her house and thought it was magical. But Zac still did not sing all that much, only when he was zoned out or when practicing using his powers. But he also would sing sometimes with Sirena for practice since she was the most talented singer of all the mermaids he knew. That sparked another memory of when Sirena, Nixie, and Lyla arrived back to the Southern pod…

 _It happened a few days after Zac returned from the United States. Zac was with the Southern pod learning some of their ways so that he could be more integrated with them. Some mermaids accepted him right away while some where still wary of him based on the mermaid/merman wars and slight prejudice. Mimmi helped put some of those worries at ease but Zac knew it would either take time for those mermaids to accept him, or they never will. Nerissa did warn him that not everyone will see his side as even land royals had their enemies. He was talking with Mimmi and Ordina when someone announced, "Our travelers have returned!" Everyone turned and saw several mermaids pop their heads out of the ocean, including Sirena, Nixie, and Lyla. Zac sighed; he remembered how Nixie was still a little wary of him based on her experiences with Cam and now she does not trust anew people easily. And Lyla he remembered did have a little crush on him. He could tell after a while and that made things awkward at times, especially when he was around Evie. Sirena swam over and gave Mimmi and Ordina big hugs and said, "Mimmi, Ordina. It's good to see you two again." Ordina chuckled and said, "It's good to see you too." Mimmi asked, "How was your travels with Aquata?" Sirena smiled and said, "It was wonderful. Seeing other parts of the world really opens your eyes to everything." She turned to Zac and said, "Zac, it's great to see you too. How are things on land?" Zac smiled and said, "Great. David has been doing well with the cafe. And he misses you terribly." Sirena sighed and said, "I have missed him too. I can't wait to see him again."_

 _Zac smiled as Nixie and Lyla swam over. "So," Nixie said. "Verida made you part of our pod I see." Mimmi swam in front of her brother and said, "He has every right to be here, Nixie. He saved our pod countless times. He destroyed the trident, the stone, and helped save our mother." Lyla looked at Mimmi and asked, "What do you mean "our" mother?" Mimmi sighed and said, "I guess word did not reach the rest of the pod that was away. Nerissa was found cursed as a water dragon. I found the dragon bracelet and freed her a few months ago. And during the time we found another merman chamber, Verida revealed that Zac is not a land boy." "What?" Nixie asked. Mimmi nodded and said, "He was born a merman and he is my brother." Lyla gasped, turned to Zac, and asked, "Is that true?" Zac nodded and said, "It's true. It was a bit of a shock and it took me a while to accept it, along with being royals…" "What?" Sirena shouted. Mimmi blushed and said, "Yea. When we rescued our mother, she revealed that our father is the secret ruler of the seas. And due to that, we are next in line for the throne that once we accept it, we will help reunite mermaids and mermen after countless centuries of war." The three mermaids were shocked to say the least. Sirena bowed with Zac saying, "Sirena you don't need to bow. It's OK. We are still us. Royal or not." Nixie huffed and said, "Well that's an understatement." She turned to Zac and said, "Zac, we may still have our differences, but you have also helped me see that not all mermen are bad. I am sorry for everything that happened." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks, Nixie. I appreciate it."_

 _Sirena asked, "How is Evie doing with her mermaid training?" Lyla turned to Sirena and asked, "What are you talking about? Evie is not a mermaid." Ordina smiled and said, "Well, after you and Nixie left to find a new home for the pod, Mimmi and Ordina tried a potion during the full moon to take away Zac's powers, even though now we know that it wouldn't have worked since he is a natural born merman. Evie swam into the moon pool and stopped the spell, but that resulted in her becoming a mermaid. We didn't like that at first, but we got to know her and accepted her into our pod. But during the water dragon event, Evie was struck down and she lost her tail. She's back to being a land girl." Lyla looked at Zac with that look as Zac calls it in her eye. Suddenly Zac heard Lyla's thoughts in her mind, "Good. That might turn out good for me in the end. No competition for me with Zac." Zac shook his head out of her thoughts. Of course Lyla still had a crush on him. Now that she found out he was a natural born merman, she thought that would help her chances. Nixie then asked, "Why don't you three fill us in on what we missed while we were away." Mimmi smiled and said, "Gladly. Sirena can help with the first part. Then Ordina, Zac, and I will do the rest." She then started their tale of their adventures up to the present day._

Zac sighed. It was good having those three mermaids back, even David thought so because he had Sirena back to being his girlfriend and she went back to singing at the cafe with him. Nixie really didn't come on land that often because of Cam. Zac did explain how Cam changed, but Nixie was still scared by that betrayal. Lyla would come up occasionally but always seemed to disappear whenever Evie was around. Zac sometimes caught a glimpse of hurt and anger in her eyes whenever his girlfriend was around. Zac knew that Evie was the girl who had his heart, but he could never bring that up to Lyla as he was afraid Lyla wouldn't be friends with him anymore. He has not told them or the rest of the pod about his Power Ranger duties that happened over the summer. He also hasn't told them about his Zord that is hiding within Mako Island itself. He does secretly visit his Zord whenever he can to give it some of his Energem energy so that it wouldn't grow weak like the Plesio Zord did. Plus Ankylo Zord would get lonely after a while so Zac wanted to give it company. But he had to tell it to not roar so loud that the pod would hear it and get suspicious. He looked at the clock and saw that he needed to get to school. He had another lesson with Mimmi and Nerissa in the afternoon so he ran out the door toward Evie's house so they could meet up and walk to school.

Evie was waiting patiently outside of her house when Zac ran up to her. She looked at her watch and said, "You are getting better at being closer to on time for once." Zac huffed and said, "I don't really hit snooze on my alarm anymore." "Good," Evie said. "I guess your adventures over the summer had most to do with that." Zac nodded and said, "Probably." Evie noticed the sad look in Zac's eyes after that comment and said, "You miss it, don't you? Being a Power Ranger?" Zac nodded and said, "I miss my friends over there. Plus, these lessons with Nerissa are great but are making me tired. I am always on guard for if anything comes back. I want to protect my family, my friends, you." Evie gave him a small peck on the lips and said, "I get it. Being a merman superhero is hard." Zac laughed and the pair walked to school to start their day.

Back in California, Tyler had parked his Jeep near the mountainside and was writing in his father's journal, "Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. Other times, like it's been forever. But either way, everything that happened seems too incredible to be true. It all started when Shelby and I bonded to our Energems and became Power Rangers. We met Keeper, then searched for the remaining Energems with our fellow Rangers. The evil Sledge sent monster after monster to steal our Energems. In the end, Sledge decided to take them himself. But we weren't giving up without a fight. Defeating Sledge meant there was no need for the Power Rangers. We could all return to our normal lives. I know it's good that the world is safe, and I'm glad to be looking for my dad again, but I miss being a Power Ranger. We were all allowed to keep our Energems until the last one was found, just in case the world needs the Power Rangers again." He closed the journal and put it back into his backpack. He thought about all of his friends for a moment. Shelby had joined him on his search for his dad for a little bit, but she had to go back to college once the summer ended two months ago. Koda, Ivan, and Kendall were back at the museum looking for the last Energem. Riley went back to his family's farm working also to find the Energem during his free time. Chase went home to be with his mom and sister. Zac went home to finish his senior year and continue his merman training. And Phillip went home to Zandar for his princely duties. He sighed and walked to his Jeep.

Miles away, Sledge's crashed ship was sitting in a forest, worse for wear. The prisoner in solitary confinement cackled and said, "Sledge is gone. It's my turn now." The creature pushed the door open thanks to the power on the ship not working as guards came up and said, "Hey, I thought Heckyl was in that cell!" The monster chuckled and said, "My name is Snide. But you can call me Master!" One of the guards huffed and said, "Master Sledge is our leader!" Snide stared the guard down and said, 'Then maybe, you'd like to join him!" The guard attacked him, but Snide just pulled out his sword and sliced through the guard, destroying him. Snide laughed and said, "Sledge is history. You're all mine. Or you're toast!" Suddenly a tattoo on his neck glowed causing him to groan in pain and said, "Not now! No!" His whole body glowed and he transformed into Heckyl, revealing that he and Snide were two different personalities in the same body. Heckyl cracked his neck and said, "Please excuse my other half. Snide is rather uncouth." His pocket watch chimed and Heckyl pulled it out and opened it, revealing Snide who said, "Don't do anything stupid, Heckyl!" Heckyl huffed and put the pocket watch back into his pocket. He looked up and saw the guards staring at him. He huffed and said, "Where are your manners? Open their cells and bring us some snacks. We simply must celebrate this new freedom." The guards obliged and the monsters came out of the cells, growling with hunger while one said, "We haven't had snacks in a million years." Heckyl smiled and said, "Well, that's about to change!

As the prisoners were walking around free, Poisandra, Wrench, and Curio were walking around through the chaos with Poisandra saying, "Oh! I miss my Sledgum so much! Wrench, can't you bring him back with the re-animator machine?" Wrench shook his head no as Fury came up to them as Wrench explained, "The machine still works, but we don't have a piece of Sledge to use it on. Besides, we have other worries right now. Like the other Rangers, especially that scary aqua one." Fury growled and said, "You never did fully explained why one little Ranger could damage our ship so badly." Wrench gulped and said, "I don't know how, but he seemed much angrier in person when he and that red Ranger came to the bridge. He raised his hands and just blew up all of the circuitry. Not to mention he somehow wind pushed me into the navigation panel and me and Sledge back so that we couldn't follow him off the ship. And those eyes, they were glowing a haunting dark blue. Like he was full of power." Fury thought for a moment and said, "Well, if we want to defeat those Rangers, then I may need to release a prisoner of my own." He pulled out a glowing gem that Wrench could see a creature pounding from inside in rage. Wrench gasped and said, "What is that?" "A little cursed gem that I picked up during my long years on this miserable planet," Fury explained. "I captured this being years ago. Once inside, it has slowly corrupted and changed him into a powerful monster. I think he might be just the trick."

Poisandra cried more as Wrench turned to her and said, "You must be too sad for snacks, then." Poisandra snapped out of her despair and said, "Oh! My heart is empty, but my tummy doesn't have to be!" She stood up and listened in on Heckyl, "Now, I know that in the past I've done some things which might lead you to believe I'm a bad egg." "You destroyed my entire planet!" One monster shouted out. Heckyl chuckled and said, "None of us is perfect, are we?" "I'm perfect!" Once monster quipped. "Perfectly horrible!" Heckyl stepped forward and said, "I'll make you a promise. Any monster that can being me an Energem, will rule the universe by my side. If you stay, you must pledge your undying loyalty to me. If not, you're free to go. Now's the time." Wrench pulled Fury and Poisandra aside as she asked, "Should we go? I can't stay here without my Sledgeum!" "Then why'd you dump him just before the ship crashed?" Wrench asked. Poisandra huffed and said, "I'll dump you on your head, rust bucket!" "We should stay," Fury suggested. "If we get our hands on the Energems, then we will be unstoppable. Plus, I am curious about that aqua Ranger. We could test him against my prisoner." They turned around as a monster said, "I, uh, think I'll just go. No offense, right?" Heckyl nodded and said, "None taken." Heckyl raised his hand toward the exit as the monster started to walk away saying, "Great! I'll send you a postcard! Or a snow globe! Or a postcard inside a snow globe!" The monster didn't see Heckyl charge his hand with electricity and Heckyl pointed his finger at the monster destroying it. The others roared in outcry as Heckyl sighed and said, "He would have been the first to betray us! And now we all know what becomes of traitors. Don't we?" Fury turned to Wrench and said, "And they say I have a bad temper." He stepped up to Heckyl and said, "Let me have the first crack at the Rangers. I have a monster right here in this gem that will defeat the Rangers no problem." Heckyl huffed and said, "I have seen what you can do and trust me, you have shown enough." He walked past Fury who turned and said, "If you can't get the Energems after one chance, then you should consider my offer." Heckyl turned and said, "We'll see about that." He turned around as Fury finished, "But be warned. The aqua Ranger is not as human as the others." Heckyl stopped to think about what Fury said for a moment and muttered, "Interesting," and continued walking away.

Down at the museum, Koda was waiting outside for the postman to arrive. He smiled when the postman came up, but the postman said, "No, Koda, you didn't get a letter today." Koda frowned at that comment. But the postman smiled and said, "You got five. You must be a popular guy." Koda smiled as he took the letters and said, "Thank you, friend!" He ran inside straight to the cafe where Kendall and Ivan were back in the kitchen and Koda handed Kendall the letters to read as he couldn't read them. Kendall opened the first one from Shelby and read out, "I've started school for the fall, taking a few business classes. I'm not sure it's what I want, but my parents say it's the best thing for me." Ivan chuckled and said, "Imagine that, Shelby, studying to be a business woman." Koda looked confused and said, 'What is business woman?" Ivan shrugged and said, "I have no idea." Koda shrugged and told Kendall, "Read next ones" Kendall nodded and summarized, "Tyler is continuing his search for his dad a bit north of here, Chase seems to be doing well back home in New Zealand, Riley is back on the farm practicing fencing and logic problems, Zac started his senior year of high school and his "secret" training he does not go into detail about for secrecy, and Phillip is doing well running Zandar." Ivan smiled and said, "Ah, the Highnesses seem to be doing well." Koda smiled and said, "And Chase and Riley."

Ivan nodded as a waiter gave Kendall an order and she handed it to Ivan who read out, "Four Dino burgers, three milkshakes, fries, fries, and more fries! We simply can't keep up." Kendall smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'm just about to interview a new waiter." "Thank you," Ivan said as Kendall walked away to the interview.

She sat down at a table looking down at her papers and said, "So, you've applied to be a waiter, and…" She looked up and saw Heckyl, remembering him as her savior during the wish card incident. "You!" Kendall shouted. "You're that guy!" Heckyl smiled and said, "And you're that girl." Kendall smiled and said, "You saved me, and I never got the chance to properly thank you." Heckyl huffed and said, 'Oh, don't be silly. I just did what anyone would have done." Kendall looked at him curiously and asked, "So you really want to work here?" "Yes," Heckyl answered. "I've only recently arrived from out of town, and, ah, well, I could use a job." "Great," Kendall said. "I need someone reliable." Suddenly they heard a dish crash from the kitchen with Koda yelling, "Sorry!" Kendall sighed and said, "Excuse me for one minute." She walked away, leaving the papers and letters from the other Rangers on the table.

Heckyl used that moment and looked through them reading, "Tyler Navarro is just north of here, Shelby Watkins is in school, Chase Randall is in New Zealand, Riley Griffen is on his family's farm, Prince Phillip is at his palace in Zandar, and Zac Blakely is in school back home in Australia." He pulled out a picture that Zac sent with the card showing him with Mimmi, Cam, Evie, and Ordina. Heckyl stared at Zac and said, "What makes you different from the others that Fury seems to think? You look ordinary to me." His pocket watch chimed and Heckyl pulled it out and saw Snide who said, "You're wasting time. That lady is a Ranger. Destroy her and take her Energem!" "She doesn't have her Energem at the moment!" Heckyl answered. "Anyway, I don't want one, I want all nine Energems. Better to rip them off everyone at the same time. Have you never heard of strategy? I just found the locations of the Black, Pink, Green, Gray, and Aqua Rangers." "Don't you…" Snide started but Heckyl closed the watch as Kendall sat back down and said, "When can you start?" Heckyl smiled and said, "The sooner, the better."

At Amber Beach University, Shelby was with her dad who said, "So you're taking both accounting and marketing. Isn't that exciting?" Shelby sighed and said, "Yeah, Dad, it's great." She saw something in the nearby bush and picked it up saying, "A Trilobite fossil! These went extinct like 250 million years ago! I'm sure no one's ever noticed it here." Her dad sighed and said, "No one would notice fossils here, because they're concentrating on their classes, which is what you will be doing." He handed Shelby her books and said, "Have fun in class. You're gonna do great." "Thanks Dad," Shelby said as her dad walked off. She sighed knowing that her dad will never let her do her dream of studying dinosaurs. She bent down to look at the fossil when a shadow loomed over her and laughed. She turned around to see what it was, but then she was frozen solid.

Down in New Zealand, Chase was doing some skateboarding moves when she stopped by some girls and said, "Hello, ladies. Hope I didn't scare ya." They turned and ran away with Chase saying, "What?" But they he turned around and was frozen solid by the mysterious creature.

Riley was on his family's farm filling a bucket with water when he heard someone yell, "Surprise!" and Riley was frozen.

Tyler was singing along to the radio in his Jeep, "I'm gonna travel the world, turn it upside down. Keep on believing inn us, till you come around." Suddenly one of his tires went flat and he pulled off to the side of the road. He got out of his car angrily and looked at the tire in question, seeing icicles poking out of it. "Icicles?" Tyler asked. He pulled out his phone and called Kendall saying, "Hey, Kendall, I mean Ms. Morgan. The strangest thing just happened…" But he was cut off by the mysterious monster running up behind him.

In Zandar, Phillip was in his office looking over documents when he heard some commotion outside. "Hank?" Phillip called out. "What's going on?" He heard a monster growl on the other side and the door bust open. Phillip hid under his desk as he heard footsteps. Soon he heard his guards come to protect the prince but heard them get beaten by the mysterious monster. Phillip hit a switch under his desk revealing a trap door that he went through, it closing behind him. "Monsters," Phillip said. "I need to get to Amber Beach now!" He pulled out his phone and ordered that his fastest plane be ready for immediate flight as he walked over to the hanger and sent a text to Kendall.

Back at the museum, Kendall walked into the base looking at her phone saying, "That's very odd." "What is?" Ivan asked. Kendall looked at him and said, "I got a message from Prince Phillip saying he was attacked and is heading here right now. And I got a message from Tyler but it was cut off before he finished." Koda walked over and said, "I call Riley but he not answer." "If the prince says he was attacked," Ivan said. "Then something could have happened to the others. It wouldn't hurt to pay a little visit to them, right?" Koda nodded as Kendall said, "Let's go." They grabbed their Energems and ran out of the lab.

They drove out to where Tyler had last said he was at with Ivan saying, "Are you quite sure this is the place?" "Positive," Kendall said as they all got out of the truck. "The GPS data says this is the area he made the call from." "Tyler!" Koda called out. Ivan turned to the others and said, "We may cover more ground if we spread out." They ran off in separate directions. Ivan looked behind a tree saying, "Where are you, good fellow?" Koda kept calling out to Tyler as Kendall yelled, "Over here!" The boys ran over to where Kendall was and they saw Tyler's Jeep incased in ice. "The monster did this," Kendal said. "But Sledge was destroyed," Ivan said. "Wasn't he?" Suddenly they heard a voice yell behind them, "Remember me?" Koda jumped out of the way as ice covered Ivan and Kendall freezing them. Koda looked in horror and said, "Ivan. Kendall." He turned and saw Iceage as the monster in question who said, "Yes. The Blue Ranger. Another trophy coming up!" Koda kicked the monster backwards and yelled, "Let my friends go!" "Not a chance!" Iceage said. "Their Energems are now mine!" Koda leaped forward and fought Iceage who laughed and said, "Is this all you've got, you Neanderthal nincompoop?" He punched Koda backwards to the ground. Koda got up in pain as Iceage laughed and said, "I think you need to cool down!" He blasted an ice attack at Koda who started to freeze up, but slipped out of his hoody and ran away. Iceage laughed and said, "Easy peasy, Ranger freezy! What? He got away? Vivix, Take those two away! Put 'em with the others. We're going on a trip down under for that aqua Ranger. Let's see what other secrets he holds."

Down at the Ocean cafe, Zac and Evie were working on some homework when Cam walked over and said, "Ah. How's the homework coming?" Zac sighed and said, "It's coming. At least science isn't that hard for me now." "No thanks to summer school," Evie added. Cam sat down with the pair and asked, "So, any more Ranger duties come up?" Zac shook his head and said, "The enemy was beaten. We are disbanded for now. So I just want to focus on finishing high school and merman lessons." Evie looked at Zac. He did tell her and Cam about his choice to accept his royal destiny and go with Nerissa and Mimmi. Was she sad? Yes, but she understood that Zac was not leaving right away and that he would make regular visits back here to see her. But that did put a little strain on their relationship as long distance may not go well for them. But Zac gave her high hopes for figuring it out together when the time comes, just to enjoy the time together they have now, which she was. She said she didn't miss her tail, but part of her secretly did and knowing that Zac was going to be a merman more permanently in the future made her think. Would she stay here forever or find a way to go with Zac? She was grateful that Zac did not pressure her for a choice since he fully understood what that felt like. So they enjoy each other's company and live life while they can without thinking too much about the future. She said to Zac, "You have another lesson later?" Zac nodded and said, "No idea what today will be about. But Mimmi seems excited. She even got Nerissa to let Ordina join today's lesson."

David walked over and said, "Hey guys. Have you seen Sirena? She was suppose to be here a few minutes ago to help prepare for tonight's gig." Before Zac could answer, they heard screams coming from outside. They saw people running around with one running in and saying, "There's a monster outside. Freezing everyone. We need to hide." Zac paled. He looked at Cam and Evie and said, "It can't be." He looked to David and said, "David, go to your office and hide there." "But…" David started to say. "Go!" Zac yelled as David obliged and Zac ran outside, Evie and Cam following him. Zac stopped and saw Iceage attacking the locals. "Ah! There you are!" Iceage shouted. "I've been looking for you, Ranger." Cam turned to Zac and said, "That's one of those monsters that you fought?" Zac nodded and said, "Yea, but we defeated him before. I don't know how he found me here." Iceage laughed and said, "You and your Energem are coming with me. I want to see what other secrets you hold." Evie glared at Zac and said, "He knows what you are?" "Not exactly," Zac answered. "During a previous fight in New Zealand, Mimmi and I had to stop his ice attack using our own. No choice. But he doesn't know what I am. And I would like to keep it that way." Iceage blasted an attack at the trio, with Zac pulling them out of the way. "Stay here!" Zac said as he ran back out. "Leave these people alone. It's me you want. But I will stop you here and now." Iceage laughed and said, "We'll see about that."

At the Mako moon pool, Mimmi was waiting for Zac saying, "Where is he? He should have been here by now." Ordina sighed and said, "Humans. Even with clocks they are never on time." Nerissa chuckled and said, "He did say he wanted to finish his homework before coming. Let's be patient." Mimmi chuckled but then received a vision from Zac, seeing him with a monster. "No!" Mimmi shouted. "What's wrong?" Ordina asked. "Zac's in trouble," Mimmi answered. "I need to help him." "Mimmi, wait." Nerissa shouted but she was too late as Mimmi dove under and swam toward the cafe. Ordina looked at Nerissa and said, "I'll go after her." She dove under and left with Nerissa saying, "I should stay and protect the pod. They may not understand what is going on and may not like the answer if they find out."

Out with the pod, Sirena, Nixie, and Lyla were with Verida and the council when they saw two shapes swim fast past them and toward the shore, near the cafe. "Who are those two?" Nixie asked. "Probably Mimmi and Ordina," Sirena answered. "They were with Nerissa in the moon pool." Suddenly there saw a blast in the horizon where Mimmi and Ordina were heading. "What was that?" Nixie asked. Nerissa popped her head up as Verida turned around and asked, "Do you know something about this?" Nerissa nodded and said, "There is an attack happening on land. We need to stay here and protect the pod." Sirena gasped and said, "David!" She dove underwater and sped swam to the cafe. Lyla turned to Nixie and said, "We should check it out." Nixie nodded and the two dove underwater and followed Sirena. Verida asked Nerissa, "What are you not telling me, Nerissa?" Nerissa sighed and said, "It's a long story. Just hear me out before you make any judgments."

Mimmi and Ordina arrived underneath the dock of the cafe as Zac was continuing to distract Iceage. Ordina looked up in horror and said, "What is that thing?" Mimmi covered Ordina's mouth so that Iceage would not detect their presence. Mimmi sighed and said, "There's something Zac has been keeping from the pod about what exactly he has been up to when he was away for the summer." She looked back up at Zac as he said, "How are you still around? We defeated you a few months ago." Iceage laughed and said, "Well I have a new master since Sledge was defeated. And he wants your Energems very badly." Zac pulled out his Dino Morpher and aimed it at Iceage and said, "We took you down once. I can certainly do it again." Iceage chuckled and said, "You are going to need more than that puny weapon to defeat me. Like I said, I am curious to see what else you can do. I do remember you blocking my ice attack last time." Zac grunted in reply.

Meanwhile, Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena popped their heads out of the water a bit further away than where Mimmi and Ordina were hiding. "What is that thing?" Sirena gasped in horror. Lyla looked up and saw Zac squaring off against the monster holding a weird looking object toward it. "What's Zac doing against that thing?" Lyla asked. They listened in and were horrified to hear that he knew about Zac's abilities somewhat. "Well," Nixie said. "Whatever is going on, Zac has a lot of explaining to do." She looked over and saw Mimmi and Ordina hiding and said, "Maybe those two might know more about this. We should keep our eyes out on them too." Sirena looked at Nixie and said, "Shouldn't we just go over and ask them?" "Nixie's right," Lyla said. "Let's see what's going to happen. Then we will ask those questions."

Zac fired the Dino Morpher at Iceage who just blocked it and blasted Zac back with an ice attack. Luckily none of the ice got onto him so no transformation took place. He grunted and raised his hand to Iceage and wind blasted the monster backwards several yards. Wasting no time, he pulled his communicator out to contact the others.

Back at the Amber Beach museum, Koda somehow drove the truck back and ran down to the command cave. He pulled out the communicator to call the others. "Shelby?" Koda asked. "Are you there? Please answer." No one picked up. Koda walked over to the computer to check it, but Koda knew nothing about how to use it and just tapped random buttons. Suddenly he heard the door open. He grabbed a large dinosaur bone off the table and slowly walked toward the entrance with it. Soon Tyler slid down surprising Koda who shouted, "Tyler!" and ran over giving Tyler a big caveman hug. "Koda," Tyler grunted. "Good to see you, too!" Koda let go just as Phillip ran in through the door saying, "I have arrived with great distress." Koda ran to give Phillip a hug, but Phillip stepped backwards and said, "No thanks. I'm good." Tyler looked around and asked, "Where is everyone?" Koda looked down and said, "We go look for you. But monster attack. They take Kendall and Ivan away in big ice." "Yes," Phillip said. "I arrived as quick as I could from Zandar after a monster attacked my guards and went after me. I didn't get a look at his face, though." Tyler nodded and said, "It was Iceage. He almost got me, too. We need to contact, Shelby, Riley, Chase, or Zac. They know how to use Kendall's tracking equipment. Maybe they can help us find Kendall and Ivan." Suddenly they heard their communicators go off. "Hello?" Zac called. "Is anyone there?" Tyler picked up the communicator and said, "Zac! You're OK!" "Not quite," Zac said. "Iceage is here right now in Australia. He's cornered me and my friends. I need help to defeat him. Can everyone get here ASAP?" Phillip stepped forward and said, "We can try. But Australia is very far away. And my jet may not get there fast enough." "Maybe I can help," Keeper suddenly appeared to the boys. "I can teleport you three to Zac's location. I fear something bad might happen if Zac goes against Iceage alone. Take hold of my staff." The three boys obliged and soon they disappeared from the lab.

Zac ended communications and suddenly Tyler, Koda, and Phillip appeared next to Zac. Tyler looked around and said, "That was awesome!" Below deck, Ordina looked over and Mimmi and whispered, "Whose are those land boys? They just suddenly appeared out of nowhere like magic." Mimmi sighed and said, "I tell you later." Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena gasped at the sight of the newcomers as Lyla said, "How did those three appear? And they seem to know Zac somehow." Nixie shook her head and said, "More questions to ask later." Sirena gulped and said, "They is getting nerve-wracking. Hopefully David is somewhere safe." Zac ran over to them and asked, "Where is everyone else?" Koda bowed his head and said, "Others captured. By him." Iceage got up from Zac's wind attack and said, "Well, what do we have here? Looks like some Rangers came for round two. Perfect. Now I can get the rest of the Energems that I'm missing." Phillip posed to fight and said, "You will pay for attacking my guards." Tyler stepped forward and said, "It's Morphin Time!" The boys pulled out their Energems and loaded them into their morphers and transformed into Power Rangers, shocking the mermaids hiding below and away from the scene. Mimmi mouthed, "Later," to Ordina as the boys charged at Iceage and attacking him head on. They were doing all right for a while as Zac mentally contacted Cam and Evie and said, "Sorry for the mental intrusion, but you two need to sneak around back and grab David out of his office. Then get as far away from here as possible." "But…" Evie started. "No," Zac said mentally back. "Just do this please. It is not safe for you guys here. Go!" Cam and Evie ran to grab David as Iceage blasted the four backwards to the railing hanging over the ocean below. Mimmi saw this and mentally contacted Zac saying, "Zac, Ordina and I and right below you four. Find a way to jump over so that you can swim to safety." Zac realized something and said back mentally, "Perfect idea. We need to regroup to think of plan B against this guy. He seems tougher than last time." He turned to the others and said, "On my mark, when Iceage blasts at us again, jump backwards to the ocean below. Then I can use my invisibility on all of us to make Iceage retreat for now." "But," Koda said. "I still can't swim." "It's fine," Zac answered. "I'll help. Just trust me on this. We will have some help below." Phillip realized what Zac was suggesting and said, "We will go with your plan. Agreed Tyler?" Tyler nodded and said, "Then let's provoke him to attack us." He looked up to Iceage and said, "You call those attacks powerful? They looked lame to me." Iceage growled and said, "Then let's kick some ice!" He fired a strong blast at the boys and the boys jumped backwards off the railing and demorphed, splashing into the ocean below. Zac changed into his merman form underwater and held onto the others, using his invisibility to hide them from Iceage. The monster looked over the railing and said, "They seemed to get away for now. They'll return. For now, I should go check on the other prisoners nearby and update Snide."

He teleported away and Zac lifted the invisibility and he and the others popped their heads out of the water. Tyler looked at Zac and said, "Well, your plan worked. Now what do we do?" "We need to regroup," Zac said. "We need to go somewhere where we can think of another strategy to rescue the others and defeat Iceage again." The boys heard noise behind them and they turned to see Mimmi and Ordina pop their heads up out of the water. Phillip bowed his head to Mimmi and said, "It is good to see you again, Mimmi." Mimmi blushed as Ordina asked, "Will someone please explain to me why there was a monster attacking the cafe, Zac turned into some armored thing, and why there are three land boys helping you in all of this?" Zac sighed and said, "Guys, this is Ordina. She belongs to the Southern pod near Mako Island. Ordina, this is Tyler, Koda, and Prince Phillip. I met them over the summer while I was away." Koda smiled and said, "Hi. You pretty mermaid." Ordina huffed and said, "Will you explain what is going on, Zac?" "Later," Zac said. "Right now I could use your help. I need to get these three to a safe place while we regroup. Not to Mako, I don't want to anger the Southern pod." "Well that is clearly a smart choice," Ordina retorted. Mimmi smacked Ordina in the arm and said, "Ordina. We should help them. It's the least we can do." She turned to Zac and said, "Maybe we could take them to Rita's grotto. It's not far from here and she might be understanding of the situation." Zac nodded, turned to the other three, and said, "Hold onto one of us. We will use our powers to help you breath underwater for a short time. We need to swim a little bit to head to Rita's grotto. Koda, you can come with me. Phillip, go with Mimmi. And Tyler can go with Ordina. And Ordina, just be patient with me. I will explain everything. Just help." Ordina huffed and said, "Take my arm, Tyler." Tyler obliged and they dove underwater and swam toward Rita's grotto. Phillip took Mimmi's arm and they disappeared underwater. Koda nervously took Zac's arm and they disappeared. Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena saw the scene nearby and Nixie turned to the other two and said, "We should follow them. Now it's time for some answers." The other two nodded as they dove underneath and followed the group.

Soon, Tyler, Koda, Phillip, Zac, Mimmi, and Ordina arrived at the pool under Rita's house. "What is this place?" Tyler asked. "A safe place," Zac answered. "Our friend owns this place. She normally lets in visitors from time to time. Here, let's get out and get ourselves dry. Then we can think of a new strategy." The boys pulled themselves out of the pool as Mimmi turned to Ordina and said, "We should do the same. Then you can get that explanation you have been wanting." Ordina sighed as she and Mimmi pulled themselves out. Soon all three merfolk used their drying powers on themselves and the three Rangers and soon everyone was dry and Zac, Mimmi, and Ordina had their legs back. They walked into the next room as Koda looked around and said, "This place pretty." Phillip nodded in agreement and said, "I have never seen some of these artifacts before. Merfolk in origin I presume?" Mimmi nodded and said, "The woman who owns this place is a mermaid herself and she collected these over the years. Just don't touch any of them." Tyler backed his hand away from touching one as he heard Mimmi's statement.

Ordina folded her arms and said, "Now will someone tell me what the Poseidon is going on?" "We would like to know that too." The group turned around and saw Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena staring down at them from the water entrance. Zac stepped forward and said, "How did you guys know we were here? I thought you were with the pod?" "We saw Mimmi and Ordina swimming toward the cafe," Sirena answered. "We saw the attack on the cafe and I worried about David. Is he OK?" Zac nodded and said, "Cam and Evie got him out of there. He's safe." Sirena breathed a sigh of relief as Lyla said, "But who are these three land boys? And why would you bring them here?" Zac answered, "These are my friends from California, where I spent my summer, Tyler, Koda, and Prince Phillip. They along with our other friends found out about me and have protected my secret. As we have our own secret." "And what would that be?" Nixie asked. "It better have something to do with that monster." Ordina nodded in agreement. Zac sighed and said, "Well, then you better have a seat. This might take a while to tell."

After Zac told his tale, with some help from Tyler, Koda, and Phillip, the four mermaids sat there in shock. "So let's get this straight," Nixie said. "You found a stone, called an Energem, in the moon pool on Mako." "Correct," Zac said. "And it bonded to you after saving a land boy's life showing you visions of a dinosaur." Lyla said. Zac nodded as Sirena said, "So you went to California to see more about it and discovered these Power Rangers as you call them, under the cover of summer school." "Well," Zac said. "I did enroll in the museum's summer program so I did actually attend summer school. But yes it was also a cover." "And you have been fighting off monsters all summer to protect the planet and these Energems," Ordina said. Zac nodded as she continued, "And you three have Energes as well?" Tyler, Koda, and Phillip reached under their shirts and pulled out their Energems to show the girls. Ordina looked to Mimmi and asked, "You knew none of this until you had that vision from Zac?" Mimmi nodded and said, "Zac did not tell me to protect me from Nerissa. Even though I could protect myself, Zac felt that this knowledge could be extracted out of me and Nerissa would find and drag Zac back here for our destiny. He wanted to make that choice for himself. Plus, the Energem did choose him to help protect the entire world, not just ours. It took me a while to understand, but I side with him and the others." Lyla looked at Zac and said, "Do the council and the rest of the pod know?" Zac shook his head and said, "No they don't. I don't know how they will react if they find out. They may not fully understand why this is important to me. I am not choosing sides as I feel I am protecting everybody, not just merfolk. Plus I feel that I still have a lot to learn before I take my royal birthright so Nerissa has been giving Mimmi and I lessons for that. But now it looks like the threat I faced over the summer is returning and I need to return to being a Power Ranger. And help find the 10th Energem so that Keeper can get them and return to his home. "Who is this Keeper?" Sirena asked. They heard a noise behind them and Zac said, "Why don't you meet him yourself?" Keeper appeared behind the group as the mermaids were startled by the strange alien. Keeper bowed and said, "Mermaids, I mean you no harm. I am Keeper, guardian of the Energems. I have protected Zac's secret like the other Rangers have from the world. I am here to help him and the other Rangers. They is no need to be in fear." Ordina stepped forward and said, "I believe you. And I think the others do too." The other three nodded their heads in agreement. Lyla stepped forward and said, "We may not fully understand all of this, but we trust Zac. If he can help save our world, then we will back him up."

"Speaking of which," Tyler said. "We need to come up with a new plan to stop Iceage and save the others." Koda sighed and said, "It all my fault." He sat down as Zac came over and said, "What do you mean, Koda?" "I got scared after first attack from Iceage," Koda replied. Tyler sat down next to him and said, "Koda, tell me exactly what happened out there." Koda sighed and said, "I tried to fight against ice, but it bring back many scary memories from long time ago." "From when you fell in the ice thousands of years ago?" Phillip asked. The mermaids gasped in shock as Zac explained, "Yea, forgot to explain that Koda is actually a caveman from 100,000 years ago. He fell after saving his brother and was frozen in ice all this time." The girls nodded as Koda continued, "Many years later, explorers find me. Was Kendall and Chase. Kendall make Dino Blaze Charger to melt ice. Ice hold me for 100,000 years. Today, ice come up my arms, want to catch me again! But I escape ice. Then I run away." Mimmi sat down and held Koda's hand and said, "That sounds like a scary memory. Everyone has scary things that have happened in the past. I remember when Zac sacrificed himself to deactivate the merman chamber on Mako, nearly costing his life." Phillip turned to Zac and said, "You never told us this!" Zac sighed and said, "Not a pleasant memory to talk about, like Koda with the ice." Mimmi continued, "Luckily, I used the trident stone's last amount of power to revive him. Like how Kendall and Chase found you and revived you. That memory still haunts me because I almost lost my brother. But I learned from it and got past it. You can do the same." Tyler realized something and said, "Wait, you escaped the ice?" Keeper stepped forward and said, "Koda," Koda bowed his head and said, "I so sorry Keeper. I should have found way to save Kendall and Ivan." "It's not your fault, Koda," Keeper said. "Mimmi is right about moving past your bad memories and learning from them. Remember, the Rangers have bonded to Energems. Like you, they will survive being frozen in the ice, unless the monsters destroy them first. Yours wouldn't have bonded with you if you were not worthy. Isn't that right, Phillip?" Phillip nodded and said, "You and Zac showed me that I can be worthy to fight by your side. Maybe you should follow your own advice."

Suddenly the boys' communicators beeped in alarm, startling the group. Tyler pulled his out as Koda said, "What is happening, Tyler?" Tyler looked up and said, "It's Iceage. He's reappeared not far from here." He looked at the other Rangers and said, "I have an idea. But we're all going to have to be frozen." "Freeze in ice?" Koda gasped. "Oh, no, no, no. I can't." "I think it's the only way we can save them," Tyler said. Keeper stepped forward and said, "I know you can do it, Koda, especially to save your friends." "Just remember what Mimmi said," Zac said. "You can face your fear." Phillip nodded in agreement as Tyler continued, "Before we face that monster again, you're going to teach us exactly how you escaped from that ice today." Koda nodded meekly as Zac turned to the mermaids and said, "You guys should go back and protect the pod. I will contact Mimmi as soon as we save the others and defeat Iceage." "No way!" Mimmi said. "We can help you guys." The other four nodded in agreement. Zac was about to retort but Phillip stopped him and said, "There may be a way that they can help us. Can you girls turn invisible like Zac can?" "Of course we can," Nixie said. "It's mermaid 101 by this point." Phillip smiled and said, "Good. Then here's what I have in mind…"

The four boys were running toward where Iceage was reported in sightings as Tyler said, "Hurry! We're running out of time!" They rounded the corner and saw Iceage who said, "Looking for your friends, but you've found your doom!" Zac looked at the others and said, "You guys ready?" "Ready!" The other three said in agreement. "To save my friends," Koda added. The boys charged as they morphed and ran straight for Iceage, who blasted them with a freezing attack and all four boys were frozen in place. Iceage laughed and said, "I always knew you Rangers were blockheads! Take 'em away!" The Vivix carried the ice blocks away, but they didn't notice a shimmer near them as the mermaids and Rangers appeared off to the side invisible to everything around them. "It worked," Tyler whispered. "And who knew that we could make anyone we touch invisible with us," Sirena said. "I just remembered what Zac and Tyler told me happened during our last battle in space and went with that," Phillip admitted. Zac added, "But we can't keep this up long. The girls other than Mimmi can't use up too much energy or else their moon rings will deplete. So we should hurry and follow those monsters to see where the other Rangers are being held." They ran invisibly in the directions the monsters went.

Iceage had brought the ice blocks to where the others were and said, "Master Heckyl, I caught all nine Rangers…" He turned around and saw Snide coming forward instead, gulped and said, "Oh sorry Master Snide! I didn't know you'd transformed!" Snide chuckled and said, "Yes! I'm in control now! So, these are the Power Rangers. More like a tray of ice cubes!" He stopped at the four morphed Rangers and said, "These four are morphed! I'll start with them, including this Aqua Ranger! Let's see what has Fury's whiskers in a twist about this one." He sliced open the ice blocks, but was shocked to discovered just their armor was in them. "What?" Snide roared. "Those sneaky Ranger rats! The only thing in the ice was their suits!" He turned to Iceage and said, "You caught nothing!" "Impossible!" Iceage retorted. "They were here!" "And we're still here," Tyler shouted from behind them. The monsters turned around and saw Tyler, Koda, and Phillip standing there unmorphed as Phillip added, "Just not where you think." "We slip out before you freeze us!" Koda also added. "Wait," Snide said. "Where's the Aqua one?" Suddenly they felt a tremendous amount of heat behind them. They turned around and saw Zac using his heating powers and melt the ice blocks down and freed the other Rangers. "What?" Iceage roared. "That puny Ranger melted all of my ice blocks!" "With some assistance," Zac thought as secretly Mimmi, Ordina, Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena helped him invisibly. He mentally told Mimmi, "Thanks for the assist. Now you go with the others to a safe point. I don't want these two catching on about you guys. We'll handle the rest." "Will do," Mimmi said as she and the other mermaids ran behind a nearby building and lifted their invisibility and watched the fight unfold from there. The Rangers shook off the remaining ice as Riley said, "What happened?" Ivan looked up and saw the four free Rangers run over as he said, "Sir Tyler! Sir Koda! Prince Phillip! Prince Zac!" Shelby ran over and gave Zac a big hug and said, "Thank you!" Zac chuckled and said, "No problem, Shelby." "So," The Rangers turned to see Snide and Iceage walking toward the group. "You all got freed. I will still get the Energems from you. And you, little Aqua Ranger. That feline was right about you not seeming as human as one would think." Zac growled as Chase asked, "Who is that?" "I'm Snide," Snide introduced himself. He turned to Iceage and said, "Get their Energems!" "Yes, Sir!" Iceage replied. "Ice 'em and dice 'em!"

Kendall stepped forward and said, "This'll be the last time you hear these words. It's Morphin Time! Dino Chargers!" "Ready!" The other Rangers shouted. They morphed into Power Rangers as they yelled, "Power Rangers Dino Charge!" Iceage growled and said, "Vivix, rise! Attack!" Tyler, Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby activated their Dino Steel and retrieved their weapons while Ivan, Zac, and Phillip summoned their weapons and charged at the Vivix. "Look!" Chase said. "Vivix are still ugly." "And weak!" Tyler added. "And stinky!" Shelby said. "Guys, don't underestimate them," Zac retorted. "'Tis true," Ivan said. "Still, let's take them down," Phillip said. They pushed the Vivix back as Snide said, "Fine. I'll get those Energems myself!" He jumped in front of Zac and said, "Starting with yours, Aqua Ranger!" Zac grunted and said, "Bring it on! Let's see what you've got." Snide laughed and said, "I was about to say the same thing to you." The two advanced on each other as Zac went swinging in with his hammer and Snide went swinging in with his sword. Snide got a good hit and knocked Zac back a bit, who huffed and said, "Let's see how you feel getting blown back." He raised his arm and wind pushed Snide several feet backwards to the ground. Snide grunted, got up, and said, "Looks like you do have some power in you that the others don't. Maybe you need some power right back at you." Snide raised his sword as Zac grasped his hammer, adding some lightning to it to make it stronger. But then Snide's tattoo on his neck started to glow and Snide groaned in pain saying, "Not now! I'm running out of energy!" He ran off behind a building and transformed back into Heckyl, who huffed and said, "They mustn't know who I am!" Zac grunted and said, "Hey! Get back here!" He started to run after Snide but was cut off by some Vivix. Zac growled and said, "Get out of my way!" He raised his lightning charged hammer and struck it down to the ground, destroying several Vivix. Riley looked over, saw this, and said, "Wow. Zac must have gotten stronger over the past couple of months." Heckyl also saw this from his hiding place and said, "Such power! I guess I underestimated that little Ranger. But now to get back to base." He ran off and disappeared.

Kendall was attacking several Vivix and said, "You knuckleheads saw what I did to your friends, right? It looked like this! Rapid Blast!" She destroyed several Vivix and said, "Yeah! Now let's finish off that overgrown snow cone!" The other Rangers gathered together as Iceage said, "Time for a cold snap!" Zac smirked and said, "How about one yourself?" As Iceage charged his attack, Zac raised his arm and turned Iceage's ice against him, blasting the monster backwards. Tyler, Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby summoned the Dino Spike and Tyler threw it at Iceage. Meanwhile, Ivan said, "Allow me to lead a hand!" He charged up his sword and threw a lightning strike at Iceage. Phillip charged his Pachy Wrecking Ball while Kendall charged her Blade Blaster and both fired at Iceage. Finally, Zac said, "Let's turn up the heat on this icicle!" He heated his hammer so now it was on fire and launched a fiery final strike at Iceage. It was too much for the monster and he blew up. "My beautiful ice! I'm melting!" Iceage shouted before he was destroyed. The Rangers cheered as Phillip looked over at Zac and said, "Was your Hammer just on fire?" "And I saw your hammer have lightning around it earlier," Riley added. "Care to share with the class?" Chase said. Zac sighed and said, "Well, I have been getting stronger and have been taking some lessons with Nerissa and Mimmi while we were apart over the past couple of months." They Rangers chuckled as Koda came and gave Zac a giant caveman hug. "Koda," Zac grunted. "Can't breath." "Sorry," Koda said as he put Zac down with Ivan saying, "Very impressive, Prince Zac."

Heckyl charged onto the bridge of the ship and yelled, "Fire the Magna Beam!" at a nearby Vivix who complied. Heckyl huffed and said, "Let's see what they can do against this."

Iceage revived and grew shouting, "Did you miss me?" The Rangers turned and saw this with Tyler saying, "What? Their Magna Beam still works?" "Then let's call some Zords," Kendall said, pulling out one of her chargers. She turned to Phillip and said, "Can you call your Zord, Prince Phillip?" Phillip nodded and said, "With pleasure." He pulled out one of his chargers and they both summoned their Zords and formed the Plesio Charge Megazord, Pacha Formation. They activated their Dino Drive and jumped into the cockpit of the Megazord. "Let's send this ice pop packin'!" Tyler said. Iceage laughed and said, "Not a chance, dino dweebs! Vivizords, attack!" "Great," Zac said. "I did not miss these tings." "Then let's take Megazord for a spin!" Koda said. "Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball!" Phillip shouted and the Megazord charged and attacked the Vivizords, destroying them. Chase chuckled and said, "Hot enough for you, Iceage?" "Two down, one more to destroy!" Koda commented. Tyler pulled out one of his Dino Chargers and summoned his T-Rex Zord shouting, "Let's do this, Rexy!" The T-Rex Zord combined with the current Megazord, creating the Plesio Charge Megazord, PachaRex Formation. "Let's finish him!" The Rangers shouted. "How?" Iceage shouted. "You're outnumbered!" He summoned some giant Vivix who charged at the Megazord. "Together!" Tyler shouted. "T-Rex Blast!" The T-Rex Zord blasted through all of the Vivix as Tyler said, "We're not finished yet!" "Galactic Blast!" The Rangers shouted as they fired their final strike at Iceage. He screamed, "Why you gotta treat me so cold, Rangers?" as he exploded. The Rangers cheered and said, "Monster extinct!"

They demorphed and jumped out of the Megazord to the ground. Mimmi, Ordina, Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena came out from their hiding spot. Mimmi ran and gave Zac a hug saying, "You guys did great!" Zac chuckled and returned the hug. He let go and said, "Girls, these are the rest of my friends, Chase, Riley, Shelby, Ivan, and Ms. Morgan, who is the director of the museum I worked at this past summer. Guys, this is Ordina, Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena, some mermaid friends of mine." Chase gulped and said, "Hey pretty ladies." Shelby smoked Chase in the back of the head and said to the mermaids, "Don't mind him." Ivan kneeled and said, "Princess Mimmi. It is a pleasure to be in your company again." Mimmi chuckled and said, "It's good to see you too, Sir Ivan." Lyla whispered to Mimmi, "Why does he kneel to you?" Zac heard that and explained, "Ivan is a knight from 800 years ago, so kneeling to royalty is kind of his thing."

They heard someone clear their throat behind them. They turned around and saw Rita standing behind them who said, "So this is an interesting sight." "Rita," Zac said. "You saw what just happened?" Rita nodded and said, "Well, I also came home and found a certain creature in my grotto." Zac gulped and said, "Rita, I can explain…" Rita held up her hand and said, "Don't worry. This Keeper told me everything that happened this past summer. Some things are still confusing to me, but I understand what you and your new friends do to protect this planet. Of which I am grateful." Zac smiled at this. Rita then continued, "But Verida wishes to speak to you, Zac." Zac gulped as he said, "Where?" "At the moon pool on Mako Island." She turned to the mermaids and said, "She also wishes to speak to you girls as well. Especially Mimmi." Mimmi gulped as the mermaids walked forward. Rita then turned to the Rangers and said, "Surprisingly she also wishes to speak to you Rangers as well." The Rangers' eyes widened as Tyler said, "How then do we get to Mako Island? We can't swim fast like these guys can." Rita smiled and said, "That is why Keeper agreed to teleport you guys there." Keeper then appeared and said, "I will take all of us there. As it seems Verida is waiting for all of us as we speak." The group nodded as Keeper activated his teleporting powers and the group disappeared.

They reappeared in the moon pool cave with the human Rangers and Keeper standing near the walls of the cave while Zac and the mermaids were in the moon pool in their merfolk forms. They turned and saw Verida and Nerissa already there with Verida saying, "Welcome Zac. Girls. We have a lot to talk about." Zac gulped and said, "Verida I can explain…" Verida held up her hand and said, "Let me speak. I am very disappointed that you kept this a secret from the pod. At first I was very angry that you sided with these humans. But, Nerissa helped me understand why you did. You needed some time for yourself to find out who you are meant to be of which I understand. The responsibilities ahead of you will not be easy. And she helped me see that what you are doing with these humans will help save our world of which I am grateful. She said this started because you found a stone here? Where?" Zac pointed to the fossil behind her and said, "I found that fossil in the walls here and the stone, called an Energem, and it bonded with me after I saved someone's life. Like my friends here, we all have one. We want to help Keeper reclaim them and stop those monsters who are attacking the Earth to get them." Verida nodded and said, "Believe it or not, I am familiar with Keeper." The mermaids gasped as Mimmi said, "You know about Keeper?" Verida nodded and said, "My grandmother told me stories of a strange creature who would visit and help all the different pods around the world. So I am grateful for his help and understand his plan." Keeper bowed his head and said, "They have also helped me throughout the centuries so it was only fitting to help them as well." Verida then turned to the Rangers and said, "And I thank you for keeping our world a secret from other humans. You have shown that not all humans are bad, like Zac proved himself. You are welcome here any time." The Rangers bowed their heads in respect. Verida turned to Zac and said, "I do have one concern. Will the monsters return to this area?" Zac shook his head and said, "They only came here to look for me. If I return to California with the other Rangers to finish this fight, then the monsters will stay there and not come back here. I will make sure of that." Verida bowed her head and said, "With that I thank you. And after talking with Keeper and Nerissa, I think we found a way so that you can travel between here and there easily. Along with Mimmi and Nerissa if they wish to visit you to continue your lessons." She nodded to Keeper and Nerissa who raised her moon ring as Keeper raised his staff and they glowed. Keeper nodded and said, "I created a similar moon pool back at the command cave that will transport you between here and there. Just use your Energem as the power source." Zac bowed his head and said, "Thank you." Nerissa said, "I understand that you are going to have to return to this Amber Beach to continue your mission. But I have explained to Keeper that during some of your free time either you can return here or Mimmi and I can go there to continue your lessons like Verida said." Zac nodded and said, "I understand." Verida nodded and said, "Ordina, Lyla, Nixie, Sirena, I hope you understand that this is not to be taken lightly. If you wish to visit Zac, I must know first." The girls nodded as Verida dove underwater and left the moon pool. Ordina turned to Zac and said, "I'll see you soon Zac." The other three nodded as they dove underwater and left the moon pool.

Tyler stepped forward and said, "So this is the moon pool that you talked about?" Zac nodded and said, "Yes. If you look up there, we are in the middle of a hallowed out volcano. During a full moon, the moon shines overhead and powers this place for a short time. This is sacred ground to the pod, so just be careful." Riley walked over to the fossil on the wall and said, "This is where you found your Energem?" Zac nodded as the group then heard a roar through the cave walls. Zac chuckled and said, "And through there is where the Ankylo Zord has been staying since I returned here. He definitely will be following me back to Amber Beach." Zac suddenly realized something and said, "Wait. How am I going to be able to go back to Amber Beach? I am in the middle of my senior year here and I can't exactly afford flying back there. My parents can't afford a second trip." Phillip stepped forward and said, "I think I have a good cover story for you, Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Morgan?" Kendall nodded and said, "Let's visit your parents and share our proposition."

Zac returned home with his mom saying, "Hey, Zac. How was school today?" Zac said, "School was fine. But something happened." His dad turned and said, "What happened?" "Well," Zac started. Then they heard a knock on the door. Mr. Blakely answered it and said, "Can I help you two?" Phillip and Kendall stood there as Kendall said, "Hello, Mr. Blakely. My name is Kendall Morgan. I am the director of the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, where Zac did his summer program." "Oh, please come in," Mr. Blakely invited the pair in and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Why have you come?" Kendall smiled and said, "I have talked with the board of the museum and they were very impressed by Zac's academics and actions over the summer. They wish to give Zac a full ride for our school abroad program for the semester. So I travelled here and met up with Zac to offer that to him. And to ask if that is something you would be interested in. We would provide room and accommodations for him while he finishes his senior year over there." Mrs. Blakely gasped and said, "That is amazing. I am so proud of you Zac. But is this something you want to do? What about finishing senior year with your friends here?" Zac sighed and said, "They were with me as I was told this, and they understand. I will still be coming back here for graduation as credits I complete overseas will be transferred to my high school here." Mr. Blakely sighed and said, "As much as we would love for you to do this Zac, I don't know how we can afford to send you over there again." Phillip spoke up, "That is where I come in. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Phillip III of Zandar." Zac's parents gasped and Mrs. Blakely said, "Your Highness. We are honored to have you in our home. But how will you help Zac with finances?" Phillip smiled and said, "It's thanks to Zac here. A few months ago I was helping finance an exhibit at the museum when Zac saved my life. So I am in his debt. I want to help him with paying for his accommodations and I offered to fly him back here anytime he wants to visit." Mr. Blakely turned to Zac and said, "Zac I am so proud of you. And I am grateful for this. Do you want to accept this? Truly?" Zac nodded and said, "I do." Mr. Blakely nodded and said, "Are there some papers I have to sign?"

The Rangers plus Keeper, Cam, Evie, and the mermaids stood on the dock below the Ocean cafe. Evie shed some tears and said, "I'm going to miss you Zac." Zac hugged her and said, "Don't worry. It won't be forever. Thanks to Keeper and Nerissa, I can come visit whenever I want. Better than not seeing you for a couple of months." He gave her a kiss then stepped to Cam and said, "See you soon." Cam nodded as Lyla, Nixie, Sirena, and Ordina stepped forward. "We still expect to have some of our races every now and then." Nixie said. "Promise to visit us a lot." Lyla said. "And to see me and David for our gigs," Sirena added. "Plus, you need to visit your sister more often, too," Ordina said. Zac chuckled and said, "I will try." Mimmi gave Zac a big hug and said, "Be safe, brother." Zac returned the hug and said, "I will. Besides I have these guys to help me. I will come back regularly for our lessons with Nerissa. And you can visit me whenever you want too." Mimmi smiled as she stepped back. Zac turned to the Rangers and Keeper and said, "I'm ready." Keeper nodded and the Rangers disappeared leaving the others standing there at the dock.

The Rangers appeared in the command cave. Chase stretched his arms and said, "Home sweet home." Riley nodded and said, "Man, this sure beats cleaning pig pens." Tyler chuckled and said, "I really missed you guys while I was away." Shelby playfully punched Tyler in the shoulder and said, "I really missed you, too! I mean, everyone." Zac chuckled and said, "It sure is great to be back here." Keeper tapped Zac on the shoulder and said, "If you look through there, you will find my creation waiting for you." Zac smiled and ran into the new cave followed by the others. Everyone was amazed at the beauty of the new moon pool. Keeper then said, "It also has an underground water tunnel that leads straight to the ocean. So if you want to go for a swim or swim here from wherever you are, you can now." Zac nodded and said, "Thank you Keeper. This means a lot." He dove in, slightly splashing the others. He popped his head out of the water and flicked his tail to the edge of the pool saying, "This feels great." Kendall then turned to Koda and said, "I remember when we rescued you from the glacier, you were very afraid of ice. Thank you for being so brave today." Koda nodded and said, "I thought my biggest fear was ice, but my biggest fear is losing my new family." Koda then hugged Kendall who gasped in surprise with the others chuckling. Phillip sighed and said, "It is good to be back. I will make those accommodations for you Zac and I will inform my country that I will be coming back here more regularly to help with the museum." Keeper stepped forward and said, "It is good to have you back, Rangers. I was hoping you wouldn't be needed again, but duty calls." "Rangers," Kendall said. "We now have nine of the ten Energems." "So we need to find the Silver Energem. The tenth and last Energem." Phillip said. Keeper nodded and said, "And once we do, I'll be able to continue my duties as the guardian of the Energems. We must not fail." Kendall nodded and said, "Let's get busy." Chase then stepped forward and said, "There's one thing we should do first." "And what would that be, Chase?" Kendall asked. "Celebrate of course!" Chase said. He then jumped into the moon pool and said, "Cannon Ball!" splashing the others and surprising Zac. Zac chuckled and said, "Sounds like a plan. Everyone, jump in!" The group looked at each other, then everyone, minus Kendall, Phillip, and Keeper jumped into the pool, laughing and splashing everyone. Phillip sighed and said, "I'm good. This is an expensive suit I am wearing." Zac chuckled and said, "Nice try, Phillip." He raised his hand and wind pushed Phillip and Kendall into the pool with the others. Phillip gasped and said, "Oh you will pay for that, Zac." Zac laughed and said, "Counting on it." as the Rangers continued to celebrate.

Back on the ship, Heckyl was sitting in Sledge's seat as Fury and Wrench stepped onto the bridge with Fury saying, "So you didn't get the Energems on your first try. I thought as much." Heckyl growled and said, "Iceage and I almost succeeded. But those four Rangers tricked Iceage. And that Aqua Ranger is something else." Fury chuckled and told Wrench, "Show Heckyl the video from the bridge battle that you showed me." Wrench gulped and said, "If you say so." Wrench opened up the bridge video that showed Tyler and Zac fighting Sledge and Wrench with focus on Zac overheating the machines creating sparks and electricity and him summoning wind to push the monsters away into the explosions. Heckyl hummed and said, "Such power. I have never seen anything like that before. I must find out what he is. Maybe once we get the Energems we could turn him against the other Rangers. He would make a great slave to me." Fury chuckled and said, "Then I have the perfect monster for the job." He pulled out the cursed gem and released the figure inside. The imprisoned monster was red and silver in design wearing armor and had sharp claws and spikes throughout his body (Think Tyzonn's monster design from Operation Overdrive.) It looked around in rage as Fury said, "Meet Dragoon. He's a dinosaur/dragon hybrid monster with plenty of power and strength. He'll be perfect for taking out the Rangers, especially that Aqua Ranger. Show him what you can do, Dragoon." Dragoon growled and released a powerful blast to the front of the ship to the forest outside, completely destroying several trees in a fiery blaze. He also used his claws and shredded several machines nearby to several pieces. Then he turned to a nearby Vivix and sent several of his spikes at it and destroyed it. Heckyl stepped forward and said, "Impressive. Well done, Fury." He turned to Dragoon and said, "Who is your new master?" Dragoon growled but bowed his head and said, "You, Master." Heckyl smiled and said, "Then I have just the task for you, my new slave." He laughed along with Fury as Heckyl now had a way to defeat the Rangers and take their Energems, as well as making the Aqua Ranger his.


	22. Chapter 22: Forgive and Forget

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **Here's the next** **chapter, coming out two days before the second anniversary of this story. I can't believe I started writing this story two years ago. I apologize that this story has taken this long and is still not done, but I thank those that have been patient. Also your reviews have meant a lot to me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 22: Forgive and Forget

Zac was down in the new moon pool in the Ranger command cave with Mimmi and Nerissa. They decided to visit him to continue their lessons. Nerissa was teaching the twins better control of their telepathy. "Focus your minds," Nerissa said. "Sometimes you feel that you can hear every voice around you and it overwhelms you. But if you concentrate, then you can quiet those voices, or focus on the voice you want to find." Mimmi concentrated until she focused on Zac's mind. Zac did the same. The twins sighed and opened their eyes. Nerissa smiled and said, "Good. You two are improving greatly." Mimmi smiled and said, "It amazes me how fast our powers have grown over the past few months. And I feel that I am getting better at controlling them, too." Zac sighed and said, "I feel the same. My Energem really has helped in this development. But sometimes I still get overwhelmed by all of my powers. Plus, I have lost control before." "I understand your concerns," Nerissa said. "From what you have told me, you use your powers against your enemies as a last resort. But you must be careful as they may catch on to what you are." "I know," Zac said. "I feel that I have been resorting to my powers too much in battle lately. And Sledge's last words still haunt me to this day." Mimmi swam over and hugged her brother and said, "Don't worry Zac. We are here to help you. As well as your Ranger friends." Zac smiled and said, "Thanks, sis."

HIs watch, which was sitting near the edge of the moon pool, beeped. Zac gasped and said, "I have to go. My shift is starting soon at the cafe." Nerissa chuckled and said, "No worries. I think our lesson was coming to a close anyway. Mimmi and I will see you soon back at Mako for our next lesson." She raised her moon ring and she and Mimmi disappeared back to Mako Island. Zac sighed and said, "Well, time to go to work." He pulled himself out of the pool and dried himself, gaining back his human legs. He put on his watch and walked up to the cafe.

At the cafe, Heckyl walked in trying to act casual. But he couldn't help himself with causing some mischief by stealing a boy's ice cream and putting it in a seat that a woman was about to sit down in. He walked past Riley to the kitchen as Riley said, "Hey, Heckyl." "Good morning, Riley," Heckyl replied back. Riley walked up to a table and asked, "OK, can I take your order?" He looked up and saw a familiar face and said, "Burt?" Burt chuckled and said, "Hey, Brainiac. Is that you?" "It's Riley," Riley retorted. "Yeah, I remember," Burt replied. "Brainiac, the whiz kid. So, I'm inn town to win the Amber Beach Marathon tomorrow." Burt turned to his friends and said, "Back in school, Brainiac thought he could keep up with me in P.E. class. Fat chance of that." At this point, Zac walked into the cafe, then stopped when he saw Riley talking with Burt and could tell the conversation was not going well. He walked over to Riley as Riley said, "OK, well, my chances are a little better now, Burt." Burt stood up and said, "Sounds like a challenge. Arm wrestle me. Or go back to the farm with the other chickens." Zac stepped between Riley and Burt and said, "Hey, what's going on here?" Burt looked at Riley and said, "Oh. Brainiac. Have someone to protect you now?" Zac glared at Burt and said, "Riley can protect himself. If you and your friends are going to cause a scene, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Burt chuckled and said, "And how can you do that? I doubt you're the manager here." Zac was about to retort when Riley said, "Game on, Burt." He sat down as Zac said, "Riley, what are you doing?" "Proving a point," Riley said glaring at Burt. Burt chuckled and said, "You're cruisin' for a losin'." Riley huffed and said, "I think you mean cruisin' for a bruisin'." He grabbed Burt's hand as they started to arm wrestle. Burt had the advantage for a bit. Then Zac saw a green glow in Riley's other hand. "He's using his Energem to help him win? Not smart." Riley then started to push Burt's hand down and was about to win when they heard Kendall behind them say, "Riley!" Riley lost focus, making Burt take advantage and win. Kendall huffed and said, "This isn't a schoolyard. Back to work." Riley got up and walked back to the kitchen. Zac stepped forward and said, "Ms. Morgan, it's not Riley's fault. These customers aggravated him into it, causing a scene." Kendall looked at Zac and said, "Doesn't matter. Riley is a staff member here. He knows the rules. As should you. Start your shift now." Zac sighed and walked back to the kitchen. Kendall looked at Burt and his friends and said, "If you are going to create a scene, I suggest you don't or you are going to have to leave." She walked away huffing as Heckyl observed the scene before him. "I could use this to my advantage," he thought.

Suddenly his tattoo started to glow. Heckyl grabbed his neck and ran back to the kitchen, bumping into Zac along the way. Zac felt something off when Heckyl bumped into him, sensing something bad. He heard a garble of voices in his head. One vaguely sounded like Heckyl, although he couldn't understand what Heckyl was thinking, and one sounded different. Zac turned and saw Heckyl run back into the kitchen. "That was weird," Zac thought. "I couldn't really understand what he was thinking. Like there were a lot of voices in his head. I should by careful around him for now." Zac walked and started to take orders from different tables.

Heckyl pushed through the doors and saw Chase at the grill. Thinking fast, Heckyl said, "Chase. There's a very pretty girl out there who thinks your accent is cute." "Really?" Chase asked. He turned to Heckyl and said, "Heckyl, watch the grill for me." Heckyl nodded as Chase ran out of the kitchen. Then Heckyl transformed into Snide. The pocket watch chimed as Snide opened it to see Heckyl, who said, "Don't mess up my plan, Snide." Snide chuckled and said, "Your plans take too long. We need to destroy a Ranger, fast."

At Sledge's crashed ship. Stingrage was reanimated by Wrench and was testing his weapon out. "Here we go," he said as he fired one of his stingers at a nearby wall where the venom dripped into a beaker for Wrench. Wrench said, "Looks like reanimating you was worth it, Stingrage. The venom is being extracted from your stingers." Stingrage chuckled as Snide walked in and said, "What silly plan did Heckyl tell you to waste your time on?" Stingrage answered, "We're changing my venom so when the Rangers drink it, they'll forget who they are." "Drink it?" Snide said. "The Rangers aren't dumb enough to do that. I know another way. I'm changing Heckyl's plan."

Down at the Ranger lab, Kendall was working on a new project while Zac was working on homework at a nearby table and Phillip was looking at some documents when the rest of the Rangers, minus Riley, walked in with Shelby saying, "We were very fortunate that Tyler, Koda, Zac, and Prince Phillip saved us from those ice blocks." Ivan nodded and said, "But we don't know what else this scoundrel Snide is capable of." Zac and Phillip raised their heads at the commotion and walked over to the group as Kendall said, "This might help. It's a technology I was developing to use against Sledge. I've adapted it to create a more powerful mode for our Megazords. I present Dino Superdrive." She pulled out one of the Dino Superdrive Chargers to show to the group. She handed it to Tyler, who said, "Awesome!"

"Maybe we can show this to Riley when we meet up with him at the park," Chase suggested. Kendall sighed and said, "Fine. But don't lose that." The group walked away, minus Zac and Phillip. Koda turned around and said, "You two coming?" Zac shook his head and said, "Sorry. I have homework from school to do. Need to catch up on US History apparently." "And I have some documents to look over and sign," Phillip said. The group nodded and they walked out of the command cave. Zac sighed and said, "I hope Riley doesn't try to compete with that bully again." Phillip turned to him and asked, "What do you mean?" Zac sighed and said, "When I walked into the cafe to start my shift this morning, Riley was having an argument with what I found out later to be an old high school bully of his. I tried to stop the escalation, but Riley then tried to use his Energem to win an arm wrestling competition. I can't believe he tried to use that to win at something." Kendall heard this and said, "Still, he shouldn't have used the cafe as a school yard. You at least tried to stop it before it got out of hand." Phillip nodded in agreement and said, "I have a feeling you somehow relate to that?" Zac nodded and said, "Back when I just found out that I was a full merman, I did not take it well. And then some lifeguards were bullying me about abandoning being a lifeguard and they called me a quitter. And on top of that, they were also trying to make a move on Evie, right in front of me. I got so angry that I used my powers on their Jeep by pushing it into the ocean as payback. Luckily Mimmi showed up and helped me calm down before any damage was done. I am just ashamed that I took their words to heart too seriously and I let my anger get the better of me." Phillip put his arm around Zac's shoulder and said, "At least you learned your lesson about that. Sometimes we have to learn things the hard way. I'm sure Riley will learn the same." Zac nodded as he and Phillip got back to their work.

Over at the park, Riley was sitting near the obstacle course tying his shoes when Burt and his friends walked over with Burt saying, "Yo, Brainiac. You're not still made about the arm wrestling thing, are you? Come on. You should be used to losing to me." Riley then got an idea and said, "Hey, Burt, first one over that climbing wall." Burt nodded and said, "Go." He took off running as Riley pulled out his Energem and put it into his fist. He sped off to the wall then jumped high into the sky as Burt was climbing over the wall. But Riley's jump was too strong and he jumped right into the tree overhead. Burt landed on the ground, pounded on the wall, and said, "Haha! Yeah! Better luck next time, Brainiac." He ran with his friends to the other parts of the obstacle course when Riley fell out of the tree above, groaning in pain.

Suddenly a hand appeared near his face and Riley looked up to see Heckyl standing there. Riley sighed and said, "Heckyl. You scared me, buddy." He grabbed Heckyl's hand as he was helped up. Heckyl looked on at the other boys and said, "He's a little big for his britches, isn't he?" "Yeah," Riley said. "I don't understand why he's always been such a jerk to me. I've never done anything to him." Heckyl thought for a moment and said, "If you want to show him what you're made of, you're going to have to go the distance, shall we say." Riley thought about it for a minute then asked, "You think I should enter the marathon?" Heckyl said, "He's making a fool out of you. Win the marathon, and you'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

Suddenly Riley saw an object fly toward him and ducked down. A stinger flew by and landed on the wall behind the boys. "What?" Heckyl said. "A stinger?" They heard laughter behind them as they turned around and saw Stingrage standing there laughing as he said, "Just wait till you see what my stinger can do now!" He fired multiple stingers as Riley took Heckyl's hand and ran behind the wall as Heckyl asked, "Is that a monster?" Riley put Heckyl behind the wall and said, "Stay here, OK?" Riley ran back to fight Stingrage as Heckyl pulled out his pocket watch to talk to Snide. He angrily said, "What did you tell Stingrage to do? This isn't my plan." Snide laughed and said, "No, it's a good plan now. It's mine!" Heckyl then realized something and said, "Your plan might just work, Snide." He put the pocket watch away as he said, "With a twist."

Riley charged in and fought off Stingrage and asked, "What are you up to, you radioactive fruit fly?" He knocked Stingrage down, who just got back up and said, "Do you try to be this weak, or does it just come naturally?" He knocked Riley backwards to the ground as he said, "You'll soon forget your pain. And everything else!" He fired a stinger at Riley, but then Heckyl jumped in front taking the shot for him saying, "Look out, Riley!" He fell to the ground in pain due to the stinger. Riley rushed over to Heckyl as Stingrage said, "Why'd you do that? That wasn't the plan! I'll get you, Green Ranger!"

"Think again, you toxic twit!" Tyler shouted as he and the other Rangers, morphed ran in to fight Stingrage. Shelby and Tyler charged in at him, but Stingrage blasted them backwards to the ground, unmorphing in front of Heckyl who said, "Power Rangers?" The others blasted Stingrage backwards, who got up and said, "Ugh, this plan is all messed up. Later, losers." He disappeared from the park, angering the Rangers.

They ran over to Riley and Heckyl as Tyler asked, "Are you guys OK?" Riley grunted in pain and said, "That monster shot Heckyl." "Oh, no!" Chase said as Tyler pulled out the stinger from Heckyl. "Heckyl, are you OK?" Tyler asked. Heckyl was in a daze as Riley said, "He tried to fire at me, but Heckyl jumped inn front of the shot." Heckyl looked around and said, "What am I doing here? What happened to me? Who am I?" Shelby looked confused and asked, "You mean, you don't remember?" Heckyl shook his head no.

Zac, Phillip, and Kendall were still down in the command cave when they heard their communicators go off. Kendall answered it and asked, "What happened? Is everything OK?" "Not quite," Shelby reported back. "Stingrage is back and he hurt Heckyl with one of his new stingers. We are bringing him to the command cave." Zac and Phillip's heads popped up at that statement with Kendall saying, "I don't think that's a good idea." "We are on our way," Shelby said ending the communication. Zac paled and asked, "They want to bring Heckyl here?" "It appears so, Zac," Kendall answered. "Why would they do that?" Phillip asked. "Heckyl is not one of us." Zac gulped and said, "He can't be brought down here. I don't trust him." Phillip and Kendall looked over and Phillip asked, "Why don't you trust him?" Zac sighed and said, "Something feels off about him. I have felt it ever since he started working here. Plus, I don't want him seeing the moon pool down here." "Maybe you could block it with something," Kendall suggested. Zac thought about it for a moment and said, "I'll give that a shot." He turned and held his Energem up to the moon pool entrance and suddenly the entrance disappeared. "I'm glad that worked," Zac said. "Hopefully that will hold." Phillip nodded and said, "Let's hear from the others when they get back what happened. But I will take your warning to heart." Kendall shook her head and said, "Maybe you are just being paranoid. Remember he did save my life a few months ago. He can't be that untrustworthy." She received a message and said, "The others are back. I'll go meet them." She turned and walked out leaving Zac and Phillip standing there. Phillip turned to Zac and said, "Well, I believe you. But the others may not." Zac nodded and said, "I agree. They seem to be getting along with him great. I am just too wary of him. I'll keep my guard up." "And I'll do the same," Phillip agreed.

The Rangers drove Heckyl back to the museum and Koda got him out of the car saying, You going to be OK." Kendall walked to them and said, "This is not a good idea. Showing anybody our base is very risky." Chase sighed and said, "Heckyl already knows we're Rangers." "What?" Kendall shouted. "He saw us," Shelby said. Ivan nodded and said, "He was only injured when he valiantly leapt in to save Riley." "We have to help him," Riley said. "Please, Ms. Morgan." Kendall sighed and said, "OK. Bring him in." Riley helped Heckyl to the entrance as Heckyl asked, "Where are we going, exactly?" "You'll see," Riley answered as Tyler opened the entrance and the group helped Heckyl in.

Zac and Phillip were standing near the computers when the group brought in Heckyl and sat him down. Zac kept his guard up and was watching Heckyl like a hawk, along with Phillip. Kendall took the stinger from Tyler as Koda looked at an old stinger and said, "This the one he sting me with a long time ago." Kendall put the new one in glass and said, "And this was the one that Heckyl was hit by today. The venom is different." Shelby walked over and said, "The new venom causes the victim to forget who they are and what they're doing." "That's why Heckyl is as dull as a donkey," Ivan commented as they group looked over at Heckyl who was saying, "Hey, who ate all the cookies? I don't know." Zac tried to hear his thoughts, but they were still not clear like earlier and they were multiple voices that he could not make out fully. Tyler sighed and said, "If they'd have hit Riley he would have forgotten that he was a Ranger." "Leaving his Energem right for the taking," Phillip realized, Riley nodding in agreement. Shelby held up a spray bottle and said, "This antidote should restore his memory." The group walked over, with Zac staying near the computers with Phillip as they observed the situation, and as Heckyl was saying, "Why did the puppet ask for help? Because he needed a hand." Shelby sprayed tin Heckyl's face, who looked around and said, "I remember everything now. That monster stung me. And you were all Power Rangers! And then you brought me here. To your base." Zac internally rolled his eyes as Shelby said, "You can't tell anyone." Heckyl looked straight at Shelby and said, "Your secret is safe with me." Tyler then said, "We have to be ready when that monster attacks again." The group walked back over to Phillip and Zac leaving Heckyl there to discuss a plan. Heckyl looked over and saw the Energems and whispered, "Soon, they'll be mine." He chuckled to himself evilly and Zac picked up on it with his merman hearing, looking over to Heckyl with concern. "So Heckyl is up to something. But what?" He decided to just keep observing for now, since if Heckyl was evil and Zac revealed it here and now, that may not turn out that well as the Rangers will be caught off guard. He looked over at the hidden cave and sighed with relief that the barrier was still holding. He turned back and listened to what the Rangers were planning.

Zac pulled Riley aside and asked, "Other than what's happened, how was your workout at the park? I was worried about you after this morning." Riley shook his head and said, "Burt and his goons showed up to run the obstacle course like I was. I challenged him again and used the Energem to try to win. But it was too much and I jumped into a tree, and Burt won. So aggravating!" Zac chuckled and said, "Then maybe you shouldn't use it to help you win some competition. That's not what there for. Trust me. Using one's powers to his advantage will get you nowhere." Riley looked at Zac and said, "I'm guessing similar thing happened to you." Zac nodded but looked at Heckyl quick then turned around and said, "I'll tell you another time. There's some company here that I don't want overhearing it." Zac turned and walked back to the others as Riley stood there thinking about what Zac said; not just about using the Energem for his personal gain, but about not wanting other company to overhear. He must mean Heckyl but why didn't Zac trust Heckyl?

Back at Sledge's ship, Heckyl was sitting in the big chair talking with Snide, "Sending Stingrage after the Greenn Ranger nearly ruined my plan. I had to act fast." Snide growled and said, "You were in their base! You should have taken the Energems!" Heckyl huffed and said, "And fight all the Rangers at once? A silly idea, Snide. Besides, that Aqua Ranger kept his eyes on me all the time I was there. It was like he was trying to figure out what my deal was, like he didn't trust me like the others do. Anyway, you see, once they drink the venom, and forget they're Rangers, we can take every single Energem. It'll be a cinch." He closed his pocket watch and yelled, "Fury! Stingrage! Dragoon!" Both monsters ran to meet him as Heckyl said, "Here's what the new part of the plan is. Fury, you will take Stingrage to the dam and Stingrage with fill its waters with his venom. Dragoon, I want to to observe from a distance. If this plan is somehow stopped by the Rangers, that will be your golden opportunity to attack. But I want you to focus on the Aqua Ranger. Defeat him, and bring him to me." Dragoon bowed and said, "Yes, Master."

Fury and Stingrage started attacking the dam with Fury saying, "I love it when humans run in fear! Do it, Stingrage!" "Yes, sir," Stingrage said as he walked over to the railing as Fury said, "Hurry up! Dump it right into the lake!" Stingrage nodded and said, "You're a genius! Everyone in Amber Beach will lost their memory. Even the Rangers." He raised the bowl with his venom as it glowed and said, "It's working. Soon the Energems will be ours!"

The Rangers were at the park helping with the marathon. An announcer said, "Runners, the Amber Beach Marathon starts in five minutes! Please report to the starting line and don't forget to drink plenty of water." Zac was standing in the grass near the starting line. He looked over at helpers who were filling up dozens of cups of water and thought, "I'll stay far away from those, thank you very much." Phillip was standing with him and asked, "Why are we helping out at this marathon again?" Zac sighed and said, "Riley is participating and everyone thought this would be a good way to help cheer him on. Even Heckyl." He turned and saw Heckyl walking around weirdly. Zac shook his head and said, "That guy is up to something. And I want to keep my eyes on him. But away from all of these cups of water." Phillip chuckled and said, "So that's why you're standing far away from them. Good to know. But I also agree that we should keep our eyes out for that scoundrel."

The other Rangers were standing nearby and cheered Riley on as he walked to the starting line. Heckyl was right behind him with a cup of water and said, "Here. You need to hydrate." Riley shook his head and said, "Oh, thanks, Heckyl, but I got my own sports drink." Chase interrupted and said, "Oh, hey, see you at the first checkpoint. Good luck man." Riley nodded and said, "Thanks." "You got this," Tyler said as Riley walked away. "Think smart!" Zac shouted.

Riley lined up with the other runners as the announcer said, "Runners, take your places!" Riley looked over and saw Burt standing there and Riley said, "Burt." Burt looked over and said, "Seriously? You really like losing, don't you, Brainiac?" Riley huffed and said, "Let's see if you can run as fast as you can talk." Riley pulled out his Energem but then remembered what Zac said and thought, "No. I'm gonna win this fair and square." The starting pistol fired and the runners took off.

Over at the first check point, the others, minus Zac and Phillip, were watching out to find Riley. Koda saw him and said, "Here they come!" Riley was just behind Burt, and Ivan commented, "Riley's in second place." They cheered Riley as he and Burt past them, with Burt grabbing a cup of water, drinking it. He suddenly stopped and looked like he was in a daze. Riley saw this and said, "Burt what are you doing?" Burt looked confused and asked, "Who's Burt?" The other Rangers nearby drank some of the water too like other runners and soon everyone was getting confused and lost their memories. Riley saw this and called, "Zac! Prince Phillip! Over here!" Zac and Phillip ran over and saw the runners walking around confused as Zac asked, "What's up with everyone?" Riley sighed and said, "I think everyone's losing their memories." The boys looked over as Phillip said, "And I think our friends just had the same thing happen to them." They walked over as Shelby said, "What am I doing here?" Chase looked at his skateboard and said, "I don't know how to ride a skateboard, do I?" Zac looked and the water and realized, "It must be the water. Somehow all of the water has Stingrage's venom in it." He stepped back and raised his hand toward it, making the cups explode and the water going everyone nearby so that no one else could drink it. Riley pulled out his communicator and said, "Ms. Morgan, we have a problem."

Koda was walking around aimlessly when Heckyl came up to him and said, "Hello." Koda smiled at him and said, "Hi. Who are you?" Heckyl smiled and said, "I'm your friend. You can trust me." He reached and pulled off Koda's Energem holding it in the air. Zac saw this and said, "Riley, Phillip. Over here." He ran over with Phillip and Riley running after him. "It's magnificent," Heckyl said as Zac reached out and pulled the Energem out of Heckyl's hand asking, "What are you doing?" Heckyl shuttered and said, "I was just protecting his Energem." Riley ran over with the other Energems and said, "Great thinking and said, "Good thinking. We're going to take these back to the base where they'll be safe." Riley ran off with Phillip in tow and Heckyl said, "The base. Of course. An excellent idea." Zac glared at him and said, "I'm watching you, Heckyl." he turned and ran off with the others. Heckyl growled and walked away.

Riley was helping Kendall with the antidote as he asked, "Will it be enough?" "We do need enough of the antidote for all of Amber Beach," Zac commented. Phillip nodded and said, "Who knows how much of the water supply has been affected." Kendall nodded and said, "It's highly concentrated. Zac, Prince Phillip, and I will spray it from the Plesiozord." She handed a small vial to Riley and said, "Use this right away so the other Rangers can get their memories back." "And keep the Energems on you until they recover their memories," Zac added. "Trust me on this." Riley looked at Zac confused, but remembered Zac's wariness of Heckyl. He nodded and said, "Got it." He ran out of the lab as Kendall turned to the two remaining and said, "Let's load up these containers onto the Plesio Zord." "Let's just hope the Plesio Zord won't mind carrying a bigger load than normal," Zac commented.

Zac, Phillip, and Kendall rode off on the Plesio Zord as Kendall said, "We'll spread the antidote all over Amber Beach." The Plesio Zord roared as Zac said, "Yes, Plesio. I understand. We will do this quickly so that your load will become lighter soon." Phillip chuckled and said, "I can't believe that a Zord worries about carrying too much." Zac sighed and said, "Plesio just doesn't like too many things weighing her down. It doesn't help her while she's swimming. Trust me, try to carry back multiple shells for Mimmi and you will swim a lot slower."

Back at the park, the other Rangers were wandering around with the runners as Tyler asked, "Is there a Tyler Navarro here? I have your wallet!" Riley ran up and said, "I know where Tyler is. Come on, get up." Koda and the others got up as Tyler tried to hand Riley the wallet saying, "Here you go." Riley shook his head and said, "Keep it. OK, let me just…" He pulled out the spray bottle with the antidote and held it up to Chase who said, "What is that stuff?" Riley thought for a moment and said, "Relax. It's cologne." Chase smiled and said, "Well, in that case, go right ahead." Riley nodded and quickly sprayed all of the Rangers. Tyler coughed and asked, "Riley, why did you just spray us?" Tyler realized something and said, "Wait a second. I'm Tyler, and this is my wallet!" Shelby cheered and said, "Our memories are back." "Glad tidings, indeed," Ivan commented. Koda looked down and saw that his Energem was missing and shouted, "My Energem!" Riley nodded and said, "It's OK. I have them." He pulled them out and each Ranger grabbed theirs. Riley continued, "Now, the city's water supply is completely contaminated, and right now Zac, Phillip, and Ms. Morgan are working on spreading the antidote with the Plesio Zord." Chase nodded and said, "OK, until that happens, we've got to stop people from drinking the water." Shelby added, "And keep an eye out for Stingrage. We have to find him before he does any more damage." "Let's go!" Tyler said and the group split off.

Riley found Burt trying to run away from some people trying to remind him who he is, and Riley came up saying, "It's OK. You just drank some bad water, stand back." He sprayed Burt with the antidote, who shook his head and looked at Riley saying, "Brainiac? Are you trying to ruin my new running shirt?" "You're welcome," Riley replied. Riley turned and ran past the group saying, "Wait! Sir, sir, don't drink that!" Burt walked up to the others standing there and asked, "What's the dealio?" One of the guys replied, "Drinking that water totally wiped your memory. That little squirt fixed you with some sort of antidote." "Brainiac?" Burt asked. "Helped me?" He walked over to Riley as Riley was telling a man, "No, please, please. Seriously, you will lose your memory. Do not drink the water. It's contaminated." "Hey," Burt said. "This guy's always been the smartest cookie in the jar. Trust me, you don't want to touch it." The guy walked off as Burt then took the table and pushed it over, making the water spill onto the ground. "Whoa," Riley said. "Thanks." Burt nodded and said, "I'm the one who should thank you. Listen Riley, I know I've been a real jerk to you, and to be honest, I was always kind of jealous of you at school. Studying was so easy for you, but not for me. I hope you can forgive me." "Wow," Riley said. "I never would have imagined that you would bee jealous of me. You know? Of course I forgive you." Burt smiled and said, "You gonna finish this race, Brainiac? I mean, Riley?" Riley shook his head and said, "Nah. I'm gonna help these people." "See?" Burt said. "You're still the smartest cookie in the jar. Come on. I'll help you." Riley nodded and said, "All right. Let's go."

Up on the Plesio Zord, Zac, Phillip, and Kendall were flying over Amber Beach. "Engage antidote mist system," the three Rangers called out. The antidote sprayed all over the city, cancelling out the venom.

Heckyl arrived at the Rangers' base and slid down the entrance ramp. "Ah," Heckyl said. "Finally, the Energems will be mine." But he looked at the crystal beds and the Energems were not there. He yelled in frustration, "What? They're gone! But that's impossible! Riley said he was bringing them to the base! Unless…" Suddenly his tattoo glowed and he transformed into Snide. Snide opened the pocket watch and said, "You fool! You missed your chance to get the Energems again." "But they were suppose to be here," Heckyl retorted. "That Aqua Ranger must have told Riley to move them elsewhere. He is on to us." Snide closed the watch in frustration and said, "I'll add even more venom to every drop of water in this city. The Rangers will have to drink eventually."

Zac, Phillip, and Kendall were observing the city as Kendall said, "The antidote's working." Suddenly, the alarm blared as Zac said, "Oh, no. They're putting more venom in the lake." Kendall contacted Tyler and said, "Tyler, Dino Armor X now works with Red Power. You've got to get to the dam." "We're on our way," Tyler responded. Phillip turned to Kendall and said, "Zac and I will join them there. You should continue to spread the antidote." Kendall nodded as he and Zac jumped out and ran to the dam to join the others.

Stingrage chuckled as he put more venom into the lake saying, "The Rangers will have to drink water sooner or later." Fury nodded in agreement and said, "When they do, we'll be waiting for them. Along with our ace." He turned and nodded to Dragoon who was hiding nearby for the golden opportunity to attack. "Not gonna happen!" Tyler called out as he and the Rangers, minus Kendall appeared. Fury growled and said, "They must not stop us! Vivix, destroy them." He summoned Vivix soldiers and had them charged at the Rangers. The Rangers charged at them and fought them off. Koda kicked a Vivix down to the ground and said, "Chase, get to Stingrage, destroy his nasty venom!" "Hurry!" Zac shouted. "I don't want Amber Beach's water supply to be poisoned forever. I happen to like water." "I'm trying," Chase said. "But these lettuce heads are in my way." The other Rangers were having trouble too as they were too many Vivix around them. Ivan clashed swords with Fury and said, "Leave Fury to me!" He pushed Fury away from the group as Stingrage said, "Haha! Say goodbye to your memories, Amber Beach!" "Oh that is it!" Zac shouted in frustration as he raised his hand and wind pushed the Vivix around him away and down to the ground. He summoned his Hammer and charged it with his lightning. He turned to Tyler and said, "You guys get your Dino Morphers ready! When I say the word, fire!" He charged at Stingrage and said, "I beat you once. I can do it again!" Stingrage turned as Zac swung his lightning charged hammer at Stingrage, knocking him down hard. Zac jumped out of the way and shouted, "Now!" Tyler and the others aimed their Dino Morphers at Stingrage and yelled, "Dino Morpher Blast!" But Stingrage got up and blocked the attack and said, "You Rangers can't get through my defenses." Suddenly Zac attacked him with his Hammer again knocking him back several yards. He turned to Tyler and said, "Get the Dino Armor X ready while I hold him off." Tyler nodded as Zac ran to attack Stingrage.

Ivan was fighting Fury and said, "Now, now, don't get too close, Fury. I don't want to catch your fleas." He knocked Fury to the ground as Shelby said, "I can't believe Stingrage's defenses are too strong." "Yea," Riley agreed. "But Zac seems to be able to thanks to his extra power." "But he can't keep that up forever," Phillip said. "Do what Zac said," Chase said. "Try my Dino Armor X power." "I'll give it a go," Tyler said. "Dino Steel, armor on!" He activated the Dino Armor X just as Stingrage knocked Zac out of the way and fired at Tyler, who fired back, cancelling the blast. "Awesome!" Tyler shouted. 'What a power boost. Armor X ready!" Stingrage growled and tried to charge at Tyler, but found that he couldn't move as Zac used his wind powers to keep the monster in place. "Do it now, Tyler!" Zac shouted. "I can't hold him forever." Tyler nodded and shouted, "Spiral attack!" He his Stingrage head on as Chase, Koda, Riley, Shelby, and Phillip charged their final attack with their Dino Sabers with Chase saying, "Time for this bug to bug off!" The group shouted, "Dino Saber Final Strike!" The attack hit Stingrage and Stingrage said, "I wish I could lose my memory of this!" as he exploded. The group cheered as Ivan said, "Nice work, my friends!"

But as the smoke cleared, Stingrage was still there with Zac saying, "What? How did he survive that?" Stingrage chuckled and said, "See? You can't get through my defenses! Magna Beam!" He jumped over the railing as the Magna Beam hit him and he grow giant size and said, "You'll never forget me!" "We need our Zords," Tyler said. He, Chase, and Riley summoned their Zords to create the Dino Charge Megazord, ParaRaptor Formation.

The group jumped into the cockpit, but as Zac was about to join them, suddenly a shape charged out and attacked him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted in pain and said, "What was that?" The rest of the Rangers made it to the cockpit as Tyler said, "Let's use Ms. Morgan's new Dino Superdrive mode to take out Stingrage!" Ivan looked around and said, "Wait. Where is Prince Zac?" Phillip looked back to where they last saw him and said, "There. He is being attacked by a new monster." "Oh, no!" Shelby said, "What do we do? We have to stop Stingrage, but Zac needs our help." Ivan said, "Let Prince Phillip and I go down to help. The rest of you will stop this giant fiend." Everyone nodded as Ivan and Phillip jumped out landing next to Zac. Ivan knelt to him and said, "Your Highness. Are you all right?" Zac groaned and said, "Barely. Something attacked me. But what?"

Suddenly they heard laughter and looked up and saw the new monster walking toward them as it said, "Here is my new prey to catch. This will be easy." "Who are you?" Phillip asked. "Call me Dragoon. And I will obey my new Master's request and defeat the Rangers, starting with the Aqua one. My Master is quite interested in you." Zac grunted as Ivan and Phillip stood in front of him defending him as Ivan said, "You are going to have to get through us if you want him, monster!" Suddenly lightning attacked Ivan and Phillip knocking them out of the way as Fury laughed and said, "You will do no such thing. Do you like my new monster? I captured him a decade ago during my travels on this miserable planet. He would have stayed trapped in that cursed gem unless I needed an advantage to capturing the Aqua Ranger." Zac grunted, stood up, and said, "What do you want with me?" Fury laughed and said, "You have shown great power that our new Master is interested in using. Your Energem will be ours and you will belong to us forever!" "Never!" Zac shouted as suddenly the wind picked up and lightning charged in the sky. Fury grinned and said, "Let's see if you still think the same after going through my monster. Dragoon, you know what to do. I'll keep the other two busy." "Yes, Master," Dragoon answered as he then charged in to attack Zac. Fury turned to Ivan and Phillip and said, "Ready for round two?"

Up in the Megazord, Tyler activated the new Dino Superdrive mode, getting a new Saber and activating the mode with the others. "Battle Mode engage!" Koda looked at himself and said, "Feels strong." "Good job, Ms. Morgan!" Shelby said. "Dino Superdrive rocks!" Chase added. "Let's hurry and finish this," Tyler said. "The others need out help." The group nodded and charged Stingrage as Riley said, "Wow! This Superdrive mode gives me a new surge of power." "It won't bee enough!" Stingrage yelled. But the Megazord slashed him and knocked him back, weakened. Tyler noticed this and said, "He's weakened. Let's give this baby's final strike a go!" The others nodded as Tyler shouted, "Dino Superdrive Saber activate!" The group shouted, "Dino Superdrive Saber, Parazord Fireball Finish!" They fired at Stingrage, who shouted, "That really stings!" as he exploded, now finally destroyed. "Monster extinct!" The Rangers shouted. "Now," Tyler said. "Let's go help the others."

Dragoon charged at Zac who held up his hammer in defense but Dragoon slashed through it and slashed Zac right in the chest, knocking him backwards. Zac grunted in pain and said, "This guy's strong. I need to boost my power in order to defeat him." He summoned more power from his Energem as he charged his hammer with fire and charged in at Dragoon swinging his hammer down. But Dragoon just caught it with one hand. "What?" Zac shouted as Dragoon raised his other hand and sent spikes at Zac, knocking him backwards to the ground, knocking his hammer away from him. Dragoon laughed and said, "Is that all you've got, Aqua Ranger?" Zac stood back up and said, "Not by a long shot." He summoned a wind storm and aimed it at Dragoon, knocking the monster back a few feet, but Zac then knelt on the ground, weak as he was using too much of his powers at once. Dragoon noticed this and sped towards him, slashing Zac with his claws and then laser blasted him backwards, knocking Zac to the ground and Zac demorphed, weakened. Ivan and Phillip knocked Fury backwards in their fight and turned to see Zac on the ground in pain. "Zac!" Phillip shouted. "Hold on!" Ivan said. The boys started to run toward him, but then Fury slashed them with his sword, knocking them backwards and the boys demorphed as Fury laughed and said, "You can't help him. He belongs to us now." He laughed as Dragoon walked up to the weakened Zac and said, "I will claim my victory against you, Ranger. Time to finish this!" He raised his hand to do a final strike to knock out Zac, but then he heard, "Spiral Attack!" as Tyler charged in and attacked Dragoon head on, knocking the monster back in surprise. Dragoon grunted and looked up to see the other Rangers around Zac protecting him. "You will never have Zac!" Tyler shouted. Dragoon smirked and said, "Impressive Red Ranger. You took me by surprise. But that won't happen again." He was about to charge back in, but the Rangers then sped jumped away in retreat, with Zac in Koda's arms and Chase and Riley helping Ivan and Phillip up. Dragoon roared and said, "I will be victorious! Just you wait!" Fury walked over and said, "You did well, Dragoon. You have proven that you can defeat the Aqua Ranger. Since you could take him down, then it will be no problem in defeating the others and taking their Energems." Dragoon nodded and said, "I won't fail you next time." The monsters then teleported back to the ship.

Out at Mako Island, Mimmi was interacting with the other mermaids and the Southern Pod. "So," Ordina said. "How are things with Chris?" Mimmi blushed and said, "Things are going great. He is continuing to do great work with the dolphins at the marine park and we are going on a date this Saturday." "That's great, Mimmi," Sirena said. "David and I are going on a date too this Saturday. Maybe we could do…what do humans call it…a double date?" Mimmi chuckled and said, "Sure." "How is Zac doing in Amber Beach?" Lyla asked. Mimmi started to answer, but then felt a wave of pain hit her as she grasped her head and chest. "Mimmi?" Nixie asked. "What's wrong." Mimmi then received a vision of Zac during his fight with Dragoon and felt Zac's pain as she saw him getting attacked over and over again. "Do you want me to get Nerissa?" Ordina asked. Mimmi nodded weakly as Ordina swam over to get Nerissa who said, "Ordina, is everything OK?" Ordina shook her head and said, "It's Mimmi. One minute she was fine and the next, she's doubling over in pain. I don't know what's going on." Nerissa nodded as she and Ordina swam over to Mimmi who was being cared for by the other three mermaids. "Daughter," Nerissa said. "What's wrong?" Mimmi groaned and said, "It's Zac. He's hurt. He was attacked by one of those monsters. But it was too strong for him. I can feel his pain. He's weak and hurting." Nerissa nodded and said, "Girls, stay here with the pod. Mimmi and I will go to Zac to see what is going on and hopefully heal him." The four mermaids nodded as Mimmi and Nerissa swam to the moon pool and activated the teleportation to the moon pool at the Ranger command cave. Nerissa and Mimmi pulled themselves out and dried themselves, getting their land legs back. Nerissa turned and asked, "Are you still feeling anything from Zac?" Mimmi nodded and said, "A little bit. But not as bad as before. I am afraid for my brother." Nerissa nodded as the two walked into the lab as Keeper stood there and said, "I know why you have come. You felt Zac's distress?" "And pain," Mimmi added. "I feel how hurt he is. Where is he?" "The others are bringing him back here right now," Keeper answered. "Hopefully we will have some answers as to what happened."

Suddenly the lab doors opened as the Rangers ran in, with Chase and Riley helping Ivan and Phillip to a bench and Koda carried in an injured Zac and placed him on the table. Mimmi ran over, took her brother's hand, and asked, "What happened to him?" "New monster attack," Koda said. "Some monster we have never seen before arrived just as we were jumping into the Megazord to fight off another monster." Tyler explained. Ivan added, "It was like this beast was waiting for the right moment to attack, focusing on Prince Zac. Prince Phillip and I jumped back down to help him, but that feline Fury held us back." "Your brother fought bravely," Phillip added. "I wish we could have helped him. But luckily Tyler stepped in with the Dino Armor X to push the monster back while we retreated." Nerissa nodded as she looked at Zac. There were multiple slashes on his arms and chest, his face was bloody and bruised, and his breathing was labored. Kendall held out a scanner and scanned Zac and read out, "He's lost quite a bit of blood, not to mention there's a lot of it filling his lungs. His shoulder is dislocated and he has a nasty concussion." Nerissa stepped forward and said, "Mimmi and I can heal him. But we need to act fast or the damage will get worse." The Rangers stepped back as Mimmi and Nerissa raised their moon rings toward Zac. They glowed as both mermaids started humming a tune, causing the moonlight to go from their rings to Zac, focusing on his wounds. The Rangers watched in awe and suspense as they wanted their friend to be OK. As the mermaids continued humming, the energy from their moon rings was starting to heal all of Zac's wounds, closing up the slashes as his breathing improved. The humming ended as Zac opened his eyes wide and coughed up some air as Mimmi ran over and hugged her brother saying, "Zac! I'm here." Zac looked over and said, "Hey, sis! How's it hanging?" Mimmi laughed at the throwback line from when she used the trident stone to save him in the merman chamber. Zac sat up, grunted and said, "Thanks mom, Mimmi. I needed that." Nerissa nodded and said, "It was our pleasure. Now tell us more about this creature that attacked you." Zac looked down and said, "He said his name was Dragoon. His mission is to defeat me and capture me for his new Master." "He must mean Snide," Tyler said. "Fury and Wrench must have informed him about you after the space battle." Zac nodded and said, "Fury said that Dragoon was a monster he captured a decade ago through a cursed gem and had him prisoner until he realized that he wanted an advantage toward me, to beat me and capture me. I tried using my powers to beat Dragoon, but it was becoming too much since I had to use some during our fight with Stingrage, and Dragoon took advantage of that. He almost succeeded if Tyler and the others didn't come to my rescue." Keeper nodded and said, "We must be careful of this new enemy. He and Fury now know that it can defeat Zac head on when Zac is weakened. We mustn't let Dragoon defeat him again or it would be disaster for us all." Nerissa nodded and said, "I will continue his lessons with Mimmi, focusing on making him stronger. Although I wish Zac would try to avoid fighting this monster again." "I doubt Snide and Fury will take every advantage in future fights to defeat Zac again," Keeper said. "So we must be prepared for that. If Dragoon appears again, no Ranger should face him alone." The Rangers nodded as Ivan kneeled and said, "I must apologize, Prince Zac, that I could not defend you against that creature. I have failed." "As have I," Phillip added. Zac shook his head and said, "It's OK. Fury backed us into a corner that was hard to get out of. Now that we know what we're up against, we will be one step ahead next time." Mimmi hugged Zac again and said, "And next time, gave me a better warning." Zac chuckled as Riley said, "Let's head back to the marathon and see how everyone is doing there." The Rangers nodded and ran out with Zac hugging his mother and sister saying, "I'll see you two tomorrow at Mako. I'll be safe, don't worry." He then ran out to catch up with the others as Mimmi and Nerissa headed for the moon pool to return to Mako. Keeper sighed and said, "What is this new enemy up to? And what will they do if they capture Zac?"

At Sledge's ship, Heckyl was standing in the prison wing as Fury and Dragoon walked up to Heckyl. Heckyl turned to them and asked, "Was your mission successful, Dragoon?" Dragoon bowed down and said, "I defeated the Aqua Ranger, Master. But that Red Ranger and the others showed up and took him away before I could finish the fight. I won't fail you next time." Heckyl thought for a moment and said, "You still did well, my servant. You have proven that you are a formidable opponent against the Aqua Ranger. Next time, we need to make sure that those other Rangers don't interfere with the battle. You may go." Dragoon stood up and walked away as Heckyl turned to Fury and said, "Go and fetch a refreshment. I want to make a toast to everyone here." Fury nodded and went away to fetch Curio with some drinks. "Hurry up and fill those cups!" Fury growled. "Heckyl wants to make a toast!" Curio nodded and said, "Yes, sir. Whatever you want." Fury walked away as Curio said, "But what am I suppose to fill them with?" He looked around and saw the jar full of Stingrage's venom and said, "Ooh! I wonder what's in there?" He filled up the cups as he said, "Mmm, this looks tasty." He took the cart full of the drinks and made his way through the prison wing, saying, "Everyone help yourself." Heckyl grabbed a cup and said, "Attention. Quiet! Please. Snide may have failed to capture the Rangers, but I have great news. I alone have located the Rangers' secret base. And Fury's monster Dragoon has defeated that Aqua Ranger in combat. Together we will storm the place, destroy them all, and finally take the Energems. Not to mention fully defeating and capturing the Aqua Ranger to make him a servant to us." The monsters cheered as Heckyl raised his cup and said, "A toast. To victory." All the monsters took a sip, but then the venom took effect as Heckyl asked, "Fury, what were we about to do?" Fury said, "Uh, well, I um. I don't remember." Heckyl said, "I think I'll go take a nap." He turned and walked away from all of the confused monsters as Dragoon sat in his cell and said, "Soon, Aqua Ranger, I will have my victory. Rangers be damned."

Back at the park, the marathon restarted as Tyler, Chase, Koda, Shelby, Ivan, Zac, and Phillip waiting near the finish line as Ivan said, "Hark, the runners cometh." They turned and saw Riley and Burt ran toward the finish line. Koda was about to cheer but Tyler said, "Not now. They're finishing last." Koda nodded and Zac said, "At least they are finishing all together. That's what counts." The group nodded as Burt stopped just before the finish line and said, "Hold on. Riley, I would like you to finish before me. Riley looked confused and asked, "What are you talking about? Come on, man. You clearly would have beaten me. You cross first." "Actually," Burt said. "I already hold the record for the fastest time. But now I wanna set the record for the slowest marathon time." Riley chuckled and said, "Maybe I wanna set the record for the slowest marathon time." Ivan chuckled and said, "They went from being bitter opponents to true comrades." Koda smiled and said, "So you're both winners." Riley nodded as Burt said, "Together then." "Together," Riley agreed as the two boys walked together of the finish line. The Rangers cheered as Zac thought, "Together is right. If we want to defeat Dragoon, we need to work together against him. I just hope Fury or anyone else wouldn't make me face Dragoon one on one again. Plus, I need to continue strengthening my powers for next time. This time Dragoon. I, or rather we, will be victorious and defeat you."


	23. Chapter 23: Nightmare in Amber Beach

Dino Charge: Merman Aqua Ranger

 **I'm back with the next chapter. Sorry that I could not get this out sooner. The past few weeks have been busy for me. I had some friends from Michigan stop by and I went to go see the new Aladdin movie (which I loved but I agree that it like the other Disney remakes will never top the original animated classic. But I still really enjoyed it and I have beenn listening to the soundtrack nonstop) Hope you all enjoy and feel free to leave a review.**

Chapter 23: Nightmare in Amber Beach

Riley was at Amber Beach University waiting for Shelby to get out of her accounting class. He saw her walk down the steps and he approached her asking, "So, how'd the accounting test go? You aced it, right?" Shelby sighed and said, "I hate school. I got a B!" Riley sighed as the two of them walked away back to the museum.

Zac and the other Rangers were hanging out in the cafe as they were closing up for the day. Zac was working on his math homework, Phillip was looking over the plans for a new museum in Zandar's capital, and the others were cleaning the tables. Chase huffed and asked Tyler, "Why can't those two help us clean?" Tyler sighed and said, "Phillip doesn't work here so he can't help. And Zac has to catch up on homework. Besides, he helped out a lot with opening this morning." Chase nodded as Shelby and Riley walked in. Shelby huffed as Koda noticed and asked, "What wrong?" Shelby sighed and handed the Rangers her test, Zac and Phillip walking over to see what was up. Tyler looked at the test and asked, "Why are you upset about getting a B?" "Yea," Zac added. "That would be a good day for me getting a B in some subjects." Riley sighed and said, "That's what I said." "My parents would celebrate if I got a B," Chase added. "That's just it," Shelby said. "My dad won't be happy. In my family, getting a B is…" "Unbelievable!" A voice shouted behind them. The Rangers turned around to see Shelby's dad walk into the cafe. He sighed and said, "B just isn't good enough, Shelby Watkins." "Dad?" Shelby said shocked that her father was there. Her dad said, "You need to study harder if you're going to run Watkins Ice Cream." "Watkins Ice Cream?" Tyler asked. "That's your family?" "Yeah," Shelby answered. Phillip leaned over to Zac and said, "Have you heard of this before?" Zac shook his head and said, "We don't have Watkins Ice Cream in Australia. I think it's an American thing only." Phillip nodded in agreement as Mr. Watkins pulled out several ice cream bars and said, "Best ice cream bar none. There you go." He handed the other Rangers the ice cream bars as the Rangers said their thanks. Shelby sighed and said, "That's nice of you, Dad." Mr. Watkins shook his head and said, "It's not nice, it's smart. A happy customer is a return customer. Tell your friends." Tyler nodded as Zac looked concerned at Shelby. He could tell that Shelby had a complicated relationship with her dad. He remembered during the incident where the other Rangers had their courage stolen and Shelby was trying to force Ivan to join them that she revealed that her dad was pushing her into business school and she didn't want to. He sighed as Shelby said, "You don't have to worry, Dad, I'm going to retake the test in two days." "Oh," Mr Watkins replied. "Good initiative. You'll get an A for sure, honey. Why don't I stop by and quiz you?" Shelby put on a fake smile and said, "Yay. That would be great." Mr. Watkins nodded, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and said, "Catch you later, sweetheart."

He walked out as Shelby sighed and sat down at a table with her bookbag. Zac sat across from her and asked, "Are you OK, Shelby?" Shelby sighed and said, "I don't know how much longer I can take this pressure. I want to make my dad happy, but I also want to follow my own dream. Why do parents have to be so difficult?" Zac laughed and said, "Right back at you. Have you tried talking to him about it?" Shelby sighed and said, "Every time I try, he always cuts me off and does his "business man" speech and I submit." Zac nodded and said, "I know what you mean. But maybe if you help him see your perspective, then he might change his mind. It worked with Nerissa." Shelby nodded and then she let out a yawn. Zac chuckled and said, "You're tired too?" Shelby looked at Zac and said, "What do you mean? Have you been up late studying too?" Zac shrugged and said, "Yes and no. I have been doing some late nights with my homework, but even on nights where I go to bed at a decent time, I haven't been sleeping well. It's been happening ever since I went back home. Sometimes they're nightmares based on past battles that end up going wrong or weird visions of my "other" life, plus nightmares of something happening to my family and friends." Shelby grabbed Zac's hand and said, "Why haven't you said this to the others?" Zac shrugged and said, "We already have so much to worry about. My lack of sleep is low priority." Shelby nodded as Heckyl walked over and said to Shelby, "You look exhausted. Don't forget to rest." Shelby huffed and said, "I'll sleep when I've got my A. And my dad will back off." She looked down at her textbook as Heckyl smiled down at her. He turned to Zac and said, "You look tired too. You should rest also." Zac huffed and said, "I can worry about myself, Heckyl. Maybe you should worry about yourself." Zac glared at him with a "I'm watching you" look. Heckyl turned around and walked away mumbling, "Trust me, you and the others will sleep sooner than that." As Heckyl was walking away, Zac felt a sense of dread creep up on him. "Heckyl is planning something," Zac thought. "I should keep my guard up. I don't trust him." Shelby noticed that Zac was glaring at Heckyl and asked, "What was that all about? He was just trying to be nice." Zac shook his head and said, "I don't trust him. Something about him feels off. Like he's planning something. Just be cautious of him, Shelby." Shelby didn't know how to respond as Zac got up and walked away.

Back at the crashed ship, Heckyl walked through the prison ward and stopped at a cell where Nightmare, a new monster, slept. He chuckled and said, "Wake up, Nightmare." Nightmare woke up startled and said, "I was having a wonderful bad dream. Master Heckyl! Was I snoring too loud?" "Of course," Heckyl answered. "But that's not why I'm here, Nightmare. You just got your dream job. I need you to take care of some Rangers for me." He turned to Dragoon who was behind him and said, "As for you, keep hidden until the perfect moment to defeat the Aqua Ranger and capture him. Hopefully he will come easily this time." Dragoon bowed and said, "As you wish, Master."

At the museum, Shelby and Zac were studying together in the cafe as Heckyl walked in with two packages saying, "Shelby, Zac. Glad I found you two. The mailman just stopped by and delivered the mail, along with some packages for you." "For me?" Shelby asked as she took one of the boxes from Heckyl. Zac took the box carefully and noticed that there was no return address on it. "Who's it from?" Shelby asked. "No return address on it," Zac said. The two Rangers opened their boxes at the same time and Shelby pulled out a pink pillow saying, "Oh, what a cute pillow," "Perhaps your father sent it?" Heckyl suggested. "He knows how hard you've been studying." He walked away as Shelby cleared the table and Zac looked wearingly at the contents in his box. There was also a pillow in Zac's box, but as soon as he touched it, his senses went haywire as he felt evil as soon as he touched it. He dropped the pillow in disgust as he looked over at and saw Shelby put her head down on it. He looked over at Heckyl and noticed he was chuckling as he walked out of the cafe. He ran after him, but as he turned the corner, Heckyl had disappeared. He walked back to the cafe as he felt a distress come from Shelby. In her dream, Nightmare appeared and said, "Hello, Shelby. I don't want to alarm you, but look over there." Shelby turned and saw Vivix around the cafe. Nightmare chuckled and said, "You know what to do with Vivix. Destroy them." Shelby got up, pulled out her Dino Saber and yelled, "Stop! How'd you get in here?" She started to swing her sword around, not realizing that she was in reality attacking the other Rangers. Koda held up a chair in defense and asked, "What I do wrong?" She continued to swing her sword around as Tyler shouted, "Shelby! Stop! What are you doing?" Zac realized she was having a walking nightmare. He looked at the pillow and thought, "It's the pillow. It's giving her delusions that the others are Vivix." He grabbed the pillow, pulled out his Dino Saber, and sliced the pillow in half. He also took the liberty and sliced the pillow that was delivered to him for good measure. Shelby snapped out of her trance and said, "Oh, my gosh! I was having a terrible nightmare." Soon a pink mist came out of her head as the Rangers got in a defensive stance as Nightmare appeared from the mist as Kendall and Phillip came in and Kendall asked, "What is going on here?" Nightmare chuckled and said, "Surprise!" Ivan pulled out his Dino Saber and said, "A foul monster. Have at thee!" Nightmare chuckled and said, "You must sleep eventually. See you in your dreams." Ivan ran up and tried to slash the monster, but Nightmare became the pink mist again and escaped. Phillip looked around and said, "That monster got away." Riley looked at Shelby and said, "That thing was in your head." "Really?" Shelby asked. "It was in my dream too. It was so real. I dreamed you all were Vivix." Zac pointed to the pillows and said, "Those are what caused it. I could sense something was wrong the moment I touched it." Tyler picked some of the pieces up and said, "This isn't good guys." Kendall nodded and said, "Down to the base. We need to make sure you're OK." The Rangers ran out of the cafe and to the Ranger base.

Down at the base, Kendall was examining Shelby and said, "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you." Shelby thought for a moment and said, "Something about that pillow. It came today with no return address. Was it the same for you, Zac?" The Rangers turned to Zac as Zac nodded and said, "It had no return address on mine. But as soon as I touched it, my senses went overboard as I felt something was wrong with it so I dropped it." Kendall nodded and said, "I'll analyze the pillows. But in the meantime, nobody sleeps, not even for a moment, even if we have to stay up all night." "That's easier said than done," Zac said as the Rangers stared at him with Zac saying, "What?" "Does this have to do with you not sleeping well?" Shelby asked. "What does she mean by not sleeping well?" Phillip asked. Zac sighed and said, "I haven't been sleeping well for the past few months, since I went back home after the summer. Ever since my fight with Sledge. Since then I have always been on guard, even when I am trying to sleep. I can't get those words out of my head." "What words?" Tyler asked. "You will pay for this, Aqua Ranger. I will find out what you are, and make you suffer as well as your friends." The Rangers gasped as Chase asked, "Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Zac sighed and said, "Because I didn't want to worry you guys. We have much bigger worries right now. But yes, my lack of sleep and nightmares have been getting worse. Especially since what happened with Dragoon. Now I am even more on guard, fearing that Dragoon could attack at any moment when my guard is down. But I also don't want to snap on you guys. You don't deserve that." Tyler walked over, put his arm around Zac, and said, "We are here for you. Like we said, if Dragoon attacks again, you won't have to face him alone ever again. One of us at least will be by your side and help defeat him." Zac nodded as Riley said, "Let's try to stay awake for now."

The Rangers tried multiple things to stay awake. Tyler juggled, Shelby studied, Kendall analyzed the pillows, Chase and Koda kept playing video games, Phillip was boxing against a dummy, and Riley and Ivan kept dueling with swords. Zac went off on a swim, despite the protests of the others. He needed some alone time and swimming always calmed his mind. He returned after dawn and saw the others almost nodding off. He raised his hands and summoned all of the water in the lab and split it off over all of the Rangers. He dropped his hand and the water dropped onto the Rangers' heads. They turned and shouted, "Really?" Zac shrugged and said, "It worked, didn't it?" Kendall looked at her computer and said, "That's it!" Tyler yawned and asked, "What's it?" Kendall looked at the others and said, "These pillows send out a harmonic brainwave that puts the victim to sleep. Until the pillows are destroyed, he or she will not be able to wake up." Riley realized, "And while Shelby was asleep the monster could control her dreams." Shelby added, "Then he used his illusions to make me attack you guys." Koda picked up a rock and said, "This why you use rocks, not pillows. Like me." Kendall's watch beeped as she said, "It's time to open the cafe." Tyler nodded and said, "We have to watch each others' backs so none of us falls asleep until after that monster's destroyed." Zac thought for a moment and said, "Uh, I have classes today. How is anyone going to watch me while I'm at school?" Phillip stepped forward and said, "I can go with you to your classes. I'll just say that I am observing the American education system to see if I could implement it into Zandarian education." Zac turned to him and said, "Thanks. But I thought you said Zandarian education was among the best in the world." Phillip smirked and said, "That doesn't mean it can't be improved."

At Sledge's ship, Heckyl was sitting in the main chair on the bridge with Fury and Dragoon when Nightmare walked in and said, "Ugh. The Rangers are a nightmare. They're not sleeping. I couldn't get a pillow near them. They stayed up all night." Heckyl thought for a moment and asked, "Were they all still at the museum during the entire night?" Nightmare nodded and said, "I couldn't track their exact location due to the fact they were still all awake, but yes. However…" "However what?" Heckyl asked. Nightmare gulped and said, "One of them disappeared during the night and then came back just after dawn. But I couldn't tell who." Heckyl turned to Dragoon and asked, "Have you any ideas about this?" Dragoon nodded and said, "I could sense each Ranger at the museum. But I agree with Nightmare that one departed. However I did not see any of them leave the normal way out of the museum." "Could you at least sense who it was?" Heckyl asked. Dragoon nodded and said, "It was the Aqua Ranger. His aura is the strongest of all of the Rangers. After midnight, his aura disappeared from the museum but I looked around the area and I did not see him." Heckyl thought for a moment and said, "This Aqua Ranger is becoming more and more interesting. He still has some tricks up his sleeve that we have not discovered yet. Keep up the good work, Dragoon. Fury, I still commend you for your top monster." Fury chuckled as Heckyl added, "Maybe we need to wear the Rangers out a little more? Fury, send down the real Vivix. And Dragoon, keep your eyes and senses open for the Aqua Ranger." "Yes, Master Heckyl," Fury and Dragoon answered.

Zac and Phillip went off to Zac's school while the other Rangers worked their shifts at the cafe. Shelby was studying a dinosaur book at a table when her father walked in and asked, "What are you studying? Accounting? Marketing?" He grabbed the book she was reading as Shelby said, "Dad! You should text first." Mr. Watkins looked at the book and said, "Dinosaurs? Oh, really, Shelby. You're not a little girl anymore." Shelby whined and said, "But I love dinosaurs! Did you know that…" "Dinosaurs are so yesterday," Mr. Watkins interrupted. "Business is the future, young lady." He handed Shelby back the book as she said, "But it's so boring." Mr. Watkins huffed and said, "Boring? No! Follow me." He and Shelby walked back to the kitchen as Mr. Watkins handed Koda a calculator which then Tyler took from Koda and handed it to Riley as Koda did not know how to use a calculator as Mr. Watkins said, "Add this up for me. Burger bun, 36 cents. Matt patty, a dollar 30. Cheese, a quarter. And a squirt of ketchup and mustard, four and a half cents each. What do you think of that?" Shelby shrugged and said, "Sorry, I'm still bored." "Hmm." Mr. Watkins said, "Let the magic begin!" He turned around and started to work on a burger as Shelby turned to the other Rangers and said, "Whatever you do, don't look impressed." Mr. Watkins turned around with a tray that had a burger and fries on it and said, "Voila!" The boys gasped as Koda said, "That not boring." Mr. Watkins nodded as he asked, "What do you see, Shelby?" Shelby huffed and said, "It's just a six-dollar burger Bronto burger, and some pretty cool sparklers." Tyler whispered to Koda, "So cool." Koda nodded and said, "I know." Mr. Watkins shook his head and said, "That's exactly wrong! What's the total." Riley looked at the calculator and said, "Uh, two dollars." Mr. Watkins smiled and said, "You see, I didn't just make a burger, Shelby. I made four dollars profit like magic. You take a bunch of boring and you turn it into something people will love at a fair profit. That, my dear, is business." He handed Koda the burger as the boys clapped. Suddenly, their communicators went off as Shelby said, "Dad, I gotta go. Sorry, my boss. She's calling me." "Oh," Mr. Watkins said. "That's my little go-getter." He walked out of the cafe as Shelby yelled, "Love you, Dad." Kendall walked into the kitchen and said, 'I've detected alien bio signs." Chase ran in and said, "I can't find Ivan." Tyler said, "There's no time to waste. Let's go." Kendall nodded and said, "I'll contact Zac and Phillip. Luckily he should be done with classes by now." The Rangers ran out as Koda tried to take a bit of the burger, but Tyler grabbed his arm and pulled him along with the others.

At the Amber Beach High School campus, Zac just finished his last class of the day. He and Phillip were walking out the front door with Phillip saying, "Well, there was some things I could use for my country's education system. For starters there's…" "You were bored weren't you?" Zac interrupted him. Phillip sighed and said, "A little bit. And your suggestion of wearing these baggy clothes didn't help much." Zac chuckled and said, "Well you said you didn't want to get noticed did you? So I thought that you should wear something that will help you blend in. I didn't pick that wardrobe for you." Phillip chuckled as Zac continued, "Still, thanks for coming with me to class today. It's good to know someone has my back." Phillip nodded and said, "No problem. We don't want this Dragoon creature to take you on off guard and alone. We are all here for you." Suddenly their communicators went off. Zac pulled his out and asked, "What's going on, Ms. Morgan?" "I have detected alien bio signs in the city," Kendall said. "I am sending you two the coordinates now. You need to meet the others there. Do you two have any idea where Ivan might be? He is missing." Phillip shook his head and said, "Zac and I have been here all morning. We will head to those monsters now." They ended communications as Zac and Phillip started to run to where Kendall told them to go. However, they did not notice Dragoon watching them nearby. Dragoon hummed and said, "So, the Rangers are keeping their Aqua friend protected at all times. Interesting. It matters not. I can take down the others while going for their friend no problem. But I may need to report this to Master Heckyl first." He walked away and disappeared.

Somewhere in the city, the Vivix were attacking random civilians when Tyler yelled, "Stop! Everyone get to safety!" He, Chase, Koda, Riley, and Shelby ran up fully morphed and started attacking back against the Vivix with Tyler shouting, "Let's turn these green guys black and blue." Tyler punched one Vivix down, but it immediately got back up. Tyler looked at the Vivix in shock and said, "What? My punch should have knocked that lame brain out. I must be dino-super-tired." He tried attacking again, but the Vivix blocked him and threw him to the ground attacking him. Chase was having similar problems and said, "Ah, no, stop!" The sooner we sort this out, the sooner it's nap time." "Don't even say the word nap until we can take one," Riley retorted. Koda was running away from one and said, "Back off, bonehead." He fell down some stairs as Shelby rushed over to help and asked, "Koda, are you OK?" Koda nodded and said, "So weird. Vivix very strong today." "No," Shelby said. "They aren't strong, we're just too tired." "Then let's finish this quick," a voice cried behind them. Suddenly Zac and Phillip showed up morphed and Zac wind pushed several Vivix away from Shelby and Koda. Phillip rain down the stairs and asked, "Are you two OK?" Shelby nodded and said, "We're fine. But all of us are so sleepy that it is difficult to fight these freaks off." Zac nodded in agreement and said, "I can see that. Then I shouldn't try to use my powers too much or that will make me even more tired." Tyler and the others came up as they got into battle position again and Tyler said, "We may be sleepy, but together, we can do this!" He and the others pulled out their Dino Morphers and charged a Dino Morpher Blast at the remaining Vivix. The group cheered as Tyler said, "Sweet dreams, Vivix."

Suddenly more Vivix were summoned as Phillip groaned and said, "What? More Vivix?" Zac looked around for a moment and said, "We should be careful. You know who could be around here somewhere waiting for his moment to strike." The group nodded knowing he was talking about Dragoon as they remembered their idea about sticking together so that no one, especially Zac, took that monster on alone should he show up. The group ran in and fought off more Vivix as Shelby said, "Time for you Vivix to wake up and smell my kicks." She looked around and saw that the Rangers were not holding up well as they were tired. The only one who seemed to have the most energy was Zac, which she guessed was due to his merman biology keeping him awake. The others were soon knocked down to the ground as Zac ran up to Shelby and said, "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up. Everyone is tired from lack of sleep." Suddenly lasers fired and hit the Vivix. Shelby and Zac turned around and saw Ivan standing there morphed and his blaster aimed down. Shelby gasped and said, "Ivan, there you are! Boy, are we glad to see you." "Good to see you, my friend," Phillip said behind the pair. But Zac noticed that Ivan was walking clumsily, like how someone does when…. "Wait," Zac said. "Something's not right." Suddenly Ivan fired again as Zac ducked, taking Shelby with him and the shots hit the boys behind them. "Why is Ivan shooting at us?" Riley asked. Zac answered, "That's because he is sleepwalking. I knew something felt off." Ivan retorted sleepily, "Must vanquish you monsters." He fired again at Shelby and Zac, but Zac muttered, "Sorry about this, Ivan." and used Turn the Tide to reflect the shot back at Ivan, which hit him and he fell down the steps he was walking down. The Rangers ran up to Ivan as Shelby said, "He must be having a nightmare like I had." Tyler realized, "He must have touched one of those pillows. We gotta…." Suddenly Ivan sat up as a pink mist came out of his head as Koda said, "It just like with Shelby." They looked down as Shelby said, "But he still isn't awake." He started to thrash around, but Zac put his hand on Ivan's head and suddenly Ivan calmed down and breathed slowly. Chase looked at Zac and asked, "What did you do?" Zac sighed and said, "I just told his mind to relax. At least he isn't having a nightmare anymore. But I don't think I could wake him up without hurting him." "Then let's get back to the base," Tyler said.

They arrived back to the museum in Tyler's Jeep with Ivan still morphed. Riley jumped out first as he said to Koda and Chase, "Be careful, guys." Koda huffed at Ivan's weight and said, "Ivan eat too many Bronto burgers." Kendall joined them outside and asked, "You can't wake him up?" Zac shook his head and said, "I could try to wake him, but that may harm his brain and I don't want to risk that unless absolutely necessary." Shelby nodded in agreement and said, "A pillow must have caused him to fall asleep. We have to find it." "Well," Phillip said. "What was Sir Ivan doing before he went missing?" Chase thought for a moment then said, "The last thing he was doing was…" "Getting Bronto bread." Koda finished as he ran off with Tyler taking his spot holding Ivan up and Koda ran to a open truck and pulled out a pillow and said, "I find pillow!" He ripped it into two as Ivan demorphed awake and asked, "What's all this hubbub?" Kendall answered, "That pillow put you to sleep." "And you attacked us thinking we were monsters, like I did," Shelby added. Ivan rubbed his shoulder and asked, "Then why does my shoulder hurt?" Zac sighed and said, "Sorry, that was me. I had to deflect on of your laser blasts back at you before you could injure us. And sorry for invading your mind to calm you down too." Ivan walked over to Zac and Koda, kneeled to Zac, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. You stopped me before I made a horrible mistake." He stood up, looked at Koda, and said, "Thank you as well, my capable CroMagnon." The group cocked their heads in confusion as Ivan corrected, "I mean, caveman." The group laughed as Shelby's phone beeped. She pulled it out and shouted, "The test! I have to go!" She ran into the museum as Riley ran off after her saying, "Oh, I can take you." Kendall yelled after them, "OK, be careful! Remember, don't fall asleep." "And I can pick you up later," Zac yelled. The group turned to look at Zac as he explained, "What? I have to head home for a bit to do a video chat with my friends back home. I would rather use the moon pool to transport there, but with this nightmare menace on the loose, I don't want to use up too much power since I'm already tired as is." "But you were doing fine, much better than us in fact, against the Vivix earlier," Chase said. "You were fighting like you weren't even tired." "True," Zac said. "But if the fight lasted any longer, then I would have become weak and tired like you guys. I didn't want that to happen, especially if Dragoon could attack us at any moment." The group nodded as Zac got into his car, but Phillip stepped forward and said, "Why don't I come with you? I can be there as support if you will." Zac sighed and said, "Get in," and the pair drove off.

Back on Sledge's crashed ship, Heckyl was talking with Nightmare, "So, did one of the Rangers find that pillow of yours?" Nightmare nodded and said, "The Gold one did. And he almost succeeded, but that Aqua Ranger deflected one of his attacks back to the Gold Ranger, knocking him out and injuring me in the process. That Aqua one is strange, Master." "Indeed," Heckyl answered. "Then we have to make sure that he is alone for Dragoon to take out single handed and bring him back to us." "That may not be that easy, Master," Dragoon answered as he walked onto the bridge. Heckyl turned to Dragoon and asked, "Really? And why do you think that?" Dragoon bowed and said, "I overheard the Aqua Ranger talking to the Gray one. The Rangers have devised a plan so that the Aqua Ranger is never alone." Heckyl thought for a moment, then said, "Then we will have to take advantage of that. Dragoon, do you think you can handle all of the Rangers at once?" Dragoon nodded and said, "Absolutely Master. If I were to choose which other Ranger to attack next, it would be that Red Ranger who stopped me last time before I could finish off the Aqua one. He deserves some payback." Heckyl chuckled and said, "Then get it done. As for me, I think I will visit the Rangers myself to make sure they all fall asleep." He grabbed a pillow from Nightmare and walked out of the bridge.

In the cafe, Shelby grabbed her textbook as Riley quizzed her, "Quick. Gross profit equals?" "Gross receipts minus expenses," Shelby answered. Riley nodded and said, "Now, tell me about opportunity cost." Suddenly Mr. Watkins showed up startling Shelby but Mr. Watkins said, "I just want to wish you luck, honey. You are going to ace this test. Business is what makes the Watkins happy." Shelby sighed and asked, "What if I'm different? What if business won't make me happy?" Mr. Watkins shook his head and said, "Don't be silly. You're gonna love the ice cream business." Shelby sighed, holding back tears and said, "I gotta go, Dad." She walked away to catch up with Riley as Mr. Watkins sighed. He turned and saw a little girl talking to her dad, "Dad, when I grow up, I want to find a dinosaur." "Of course, sweetie," Her dad answered. "I'm sure you'll be the best." Mr. Watkins suddenly realized what his daughter has been trying to tell him all along.

At Amber Beach University, Riley and Shelby arrived with Riley quizzing her, "And 13 percent overhead, what's the net income?" "Six percent," Shelby answered. "Perfect," Riley said closing the textbook and handing it to her. "You're gonna do great." Shelby started to run up the steps, but stopped, turned to Riley and asked, "I'll be great at running Watkins Ice Cream. Don't you think?" "Yeah," Riley said. "I think that you'll be fantastic." She turned to walk away but Riley stopped her, "Hey, Shelby, wait a second. Listen, when I was growing up on the ranch, everybody wanted me to be a cowboy. But I didn't want to be a cowboy." "What are you saying?" Shelby asked. Riley sighed and said, "You dad would be so happy if you ran that ice cream company. But what do you want?" Before Shelby could answer the bell rang and Shelby said, "I gotta go." She turned and walked away, neither of them noticing Curio putting a pillow in Riley helmet saying, "Nighty-night, Green Ranger." Riley sighed and walked to his moped and put on his helmet, but suddenly he fell asleep and fell to the ground. He was suddenly in a nightmare with Nightmare saying, "Let's go, Green Ranger."

Over at Zac's apartment, Zac pulled out his laptop with Phillip sitting off to the side as he wanted to respect Zac's privacy but said he would step in if needed. The video chat was pulled up as Evie's face came up and she yelled, "Why didn't you tell me right away that you got injured?" Zac winced and said, "Hello to you too, Evie." Evie pulled her head away from the camera to show Cam and the other mermaids' faces, minus Nerissa and Lyla, since Zac remembered that Lyla really didn't like being near Evie. "Mimmi told all of us what happened," Nixie said. "We were there with the pod when she felt your pain from this attack." "Why didn't you tell us too when this happened?" Cam asked. "We're your mates too." Zac sighed and said, "Sorry. It all happened so fast that I didn't find the time too." "That's not a good excuse!" Evie shouted. "If something like this happens again, which I hope doesn't, I want to know as soon as it happens!" Zac nodded and said, "Deal." Phillip then sat down next to Zac and said, "I should apologize. I was there when Zac got attacked and I couldn't protect him. So I give my humblest apologies to all of you. I should have protected your brother and friend better." The Mako group looked shocked that a prince was apologizing to them of all people. Mimmi sighed and said, "It's OK, Phillip. You tried your best as I understand what happened. But still, thank you for protecting my brother when you can." Phillip nodded as Ordina asked, "So what else has been going on?" "Well," Zac said. "Right now, and this is why I couldn't come visit today like I promised, we are dealing with a monster that can control our dreams and turn them into nightmares, making us sleep walk and attack our team. We all haven't slept in over 24 hours so I didn't want to use up a lot of my strength teleporting back and forth until the situation is dealt with." "Interesting," Sirena said. "How did this start?" "Well," Zac answered. "It all started when Heckyl delivered these pillows to Shelby and I…" He stopped and realized something. "Wait," Zac yelled turning to Phillip. "Heckyl was the one who delivered those two pillows to Shelby and I. After I dropped mine when I felt something was off about it, I looked over and saw him chuckling to himself, walking away. I ran after him, but he disappeared like magic." Phillip realized what Zac was thinking and asked, "You think Heckyl has something to do with this?" Zac nodded and said, "I knew that guy couldn't be trusted. We need to go warn the others. Starting with Shelby." Phillip nodded as Mimmi asked, "What are you two talking about?" Zac turned to the computer and said, "I will explain later. Right now, Phillip and I need to go." He slammed the computer screen down as he and Phillip ran out the door with Phillip shouting, "But Lady Shelby may not be done with her test yet." Zac got into his car and said, "Well, let's hope she realizes that business is not for her and walks out early." And the pair drove off.

Shelby walked out of her class early since she realized that she did not want to take it as well as not take anymore business classes just as Zac pulled up with Phillip shouting, "Lady Shelby. You should get in. Now." "What's going on?" Shelby asked "How did you know that I walked out of my test early?" Phillip shrugged and pointed to Zac as Zac looked around and saw Riley's moped and shouted, "Oh no!" He got out and ran to Riley's moped and shouted back, "Riley's moped is still here. But no sign of Riley. He must have been affected by Nightmare before he left." He ran back into his car as Shelby got in and he sped away with Shelby asking, "Where's Riley? And you didn't answer my first question." Zac sighed and said, "Phillip and I figured out who has been leaving pillows everywhere for us to find. Shelby, remember who delivered pillows to us at the cafe?" Shelby nodded and said, "Heckyl did." "Precisely," Phillip said. "And he said the previous day that we should get some sleep?" Shelby realized what Zac was saying and asked, "You think Heckyl is behind this?" Zac nodded and said, "I always felt like something was off about him." "And I agree with Zac," Phillip said. "That scoundrel always gave me the creeps." Shelby nodded and said, "Then we have to hurry back to the museum."

In the cafe, the Rangers were working when suddenly one by one, Hekcyl snuck up behind them with a pillow and put them all to sleep and took their Energems. Kendall walked in to see the Rangers asleep, but before she could do anything, Heckyl came up from behind and said, "Sleep tight, pretty lady." He placed her on the ground as Shelby, Zac, and Phillip ran in and saw Heckyl kneeling next to Kendall and Shelby asked, "What are you doing to her, Heckyl? What happened to the others?" Heckyl looked around and said, "They're all just taking a little nap." Phillip looked over and saw their Energems lying nearby with Phillip shouting, "He has their Energems!" Zac lifted his hand and summoned them with his telekinesis over to his hand as Heckyl said, "That's a neat trick. Why don't you three join us?" Zac growled and said, "I knew you couldn't be trusted. You tried to take the Energems from the others when their memories were wiped. And you gave me and Shelby those pillows so that we could fall asleep." "Then you must work for Snide!" Shelby shouted as she pulled out her Dino Morpher and fired at Heckyl, destroying the pillow, causing the others to wake up. Tyler looked over at the trio and said, "Shelby, guys, what are you doing?" "Heckyl's not our friend," Shelby answered. "He made you all fall asleep, then stole your Energems," Phillip added. "He's been our enemy this entire time," Zac said. "I always felt that something was off about him." "They haven't slept in days," Heckyl retorted. "You three are delirious. Come now. We're all friends here." He tried to grab Shelby's Dino Morpher, but Zac saw this and grabbed Heckyl, and using his superior strength, threw Heckyl clear across the room to the entrance. Heckyl groaned as Zac said, "That's what you wanted us to think. Even since you saved Ms. Morgan. But I saw right through your act. It just took me some time to realize what exactly your deal was. It was all just a ploy to gain our trust and steal our Energems." "Heckyl, is this true?" Kendall asked. "Do you work for Snide?" Heckyl stood up as his tattoo glowed and said, "I don't work for Snide." Suddenly his form shifted into Snide and said, "I am Snide!" The Rangers all pulled out their Dino Morphers as Snide pulled out his sword and said, "You got lucky today, but after I find your base, I will take the Energems, I will rip each of you to shreds from head to toe, and you, Aqua Ranger, will join me, whether you want to or not." "Never!' Zac shouted. Snide fired an electrical shock at the Rangers, but Zac dropped his Dino Morpher and used Turn the Tide and reflected the attack back at Snide. Snide grunted and said, "Very impressive. You haven't seen the last of me, Aqua Ranger, or my new servant. And this time, he will succeed." He then disappeared from the cafe.

Shelby thought for a moment as their communicators beeped and said, "Wait, he doesn't know where our base is?" "That does seem to be strange since Heckyl has been there before when we cured him," Phillip said. "Whatever the case," Zac said. "Now we have to be more careful." The group nodded as Kendall said, "Interesting. But we have more urgent matters. Riley's heading for the junkyard. I bet he's asleep." "That's why he left his moped at the university," Zac realized. "One of those monsters placed a pillow on him and Nightmare is now controlling him. We need to get to the junkyard and fast." "Then let's go," Chase said as the group ran out of the cafe.

Over at the junkyard, Riley was sleep walking over to Curio who said, "I did it! Ooh, here he comes!" Fury were standing next to him as Fury yelled, "Bring me the Energem! Give it to me!" Riley obeyed and slowly pulled out his Energem as Fury laughed and said, "A-ha! Finally, after all this time! I'll have an Energem!" "Thanks to how smart I am!" Curio retorted. "Yeah, right," Fury replied as he reached for the green Energem. Curio was twirling around and said, "These evil pillows are great." Suddenly shots were fired at the group knocking Fury backwards and Curio into a trash bin with the pillow being destroyed. Chase shouted, "Riley, wake up!" as he lowered his Dino Morpher as he was the one who fired the shots at the monsters. Riley woke up, took in his surroundings, and put his Energem back onto his necklace saying, "Nice try." Fury stood up and said, "If you won't do as you're told, I'll have to destroy you!" He charged at Riley who charged at him and both started to fight each other as Fury said, "Eat boot, Green Ranger!" He kicked Riley backwards but then Riley kicked him backwards as well. Suddenly a pink mist came out of Riley's head as Fury chuckled and said, "Does your head hurt? Time to make it worse!" He swung his sword at Riley, knocking him backwards towards the other Rangers who were running up to him to see if he was alright. Nightmare appeared next to Fury and Curio and Fury said, "You deal with those Rangers. Or else." Nightmare gulped as Fury walked away and Nightmare said, "Time to fulfill my dream of getting an Energem." "We're going to make your dream a nightmare," Shelby said. "It's morphin time!" The Rangers pulled out their Dino Morphers and transformed into Power Rangers. They all pulled out their Dino Sabers and charged in at Nightmare and Curio with Nightmare saying, "Someone pinch me and wake me up!" All of the Rangers charged their sabers and did a multi-attack on Nightmare, as Curio jumped out of the way. "Time to end this nightmare!" Zac shouted. They did one final sword strike and Nightmare exploded, but then the Magna Beam came down and grew the monster giant size.

"Time to call for back-up!" Tyler shouted. Tyler, Chase, Koda, Riley, Shelby, and Ivan summoned their Zords while Zac and Phillip summoned the Plesio Zord. The core five created the Dino Charge Megazord Stego-Raptor Formation, Ivan created the Ptera Charge Megazord, and Zac and Phillip created the Plesio Charge Megazord. All three Megazords stared down Nightmare as the monster said, "Three? I hope this is only a dream!" The Megazords lined up ready to attack as Nightmare retorted, "You're all a real snore." Ivan attacked Nightmare with his Ptera Lightning blitz, shocking Nightmare, while Zac and Phillip attacked with the Plesio Rocket punch, knocking Nightmare down with the monster saying, "That one hurt!" "Time to put this nightmare to bed!" Riley shouted. "Then let's do it!" Phillip said. Shelby nodded and activated the Dino Superdirve Saber and the Rangers unleashed the Raptor Zord Final Flame strike. It succeeded and Nightmare exploded with the Rangers shouting, "Monster extinct!"

The Rangers jumped out of the Megazords and sent the Zords back to their resting places as Tyler looked around and asked, "Where did Fury and Curio go?" "Who knows?" Phillip said. "We are victorious this day." "Don't celebrate yet," Zac reminded him. "Remember Snide's warning? We should look around just in case…" Suddenly a flash appeared next to the group and all of the Rangers were attacked and all hit the ground hard. Soon they heard laughter nearby. The Rangers looked up and saw Dragoon walking toward the group. "So," Dragoon said. "I have all of the Rangers right where I want them. You will all fall before me and the Aqua Ranger will be my prize for Master Snide." "Not going to happen!" Zac shouted. Dragoon chuckled and said, "You don't have a choice in the matter." Phillip stepped in front of Zac and said, "You aren't taking him from us. You are going to have to get through all of us to get to him." The other Rangers also stepped in front of Zac protecting him from the dinosaur/dragon hybrid. Dragoon laughed and said, "I heard about your little plan, Rangers. I know you are at that Ranger's side day and night so that he won't fight me alone. But I developed a plan thanks to Master Snide. He and Master Fury sent some backup for you Rangers to deal with." Suddenly Fury and Curio appeared behind the Rangers along with dozens of Vivix. Fury laughed and said, "What are you going to do Rangers? Fight us, or protect your friend? My prisoner will be victorious no matter what! Attack!" The Vivix along with Fury and Curio charged the group and started their attack on the Rangers. The Rangers tried to keep up, but there were too many of them and the Rangers were still too tired from the lack of sleep. Dragoon saw an opening and sped in, grabbing Zac and throwing him far to the other side of the junkyard. "Zac!" Shelby yelled. Tyler turned to her and said, "I'll go after him. You guys can handle these goons!" Shelby nodded as Tyler ran toward where Dragoon took Zac, slicing up Vivix with his Dino Saber along the way.

Zac collided with the ground hard as Dragoon jumped nearby walking up to Zac and said, "You are pathetic, Aqua Ranger. Your friends cannot help you now." Zac stood up, raised his Dino Saber, and said, "They are more powerful than you think. Just like I am more powerful than you think. No matter how many times we fall, we will always get back up. That's what a Power Ranger does." Dragoon chuckled as he fired lasers at Zac who dodged every last one, but then Dragon charged him with his claws and slashed Zac up and then kicked him backwards to the ground. Zac grunted and said, "That hurt. Let's see how you like it." He raised his hand and summoned a wind storm around Dragoon and lifted him high into the air then dropped him hard to the ground. Dragoon laughed and said, "So you have some fight in you. Good. It makes things more interesting." Suddenly a slash came from behind Dragoon as Tyler sliced his Dino Saber into Dragoon's back. Dragoon stumbled a bit and glared at Tyler while Tyler ran over to Zac and asked, "Zac, are you OK?" Zac nodded and said, "Thanks. But be careful. Dragoon is putting up a heck of a fight." Dragoon laughed saying, "Red Ranger. You surprised me once and took my victory away. I will not let that happen again." Tyler held up his Dino Saber and charged in at Dragoon, along with Zac. Dragoon caught Tyler's sword and threw it away from Tyler's grasp and sliced Tyler bad and then grabbed Tyler by his neck as Zac charged in to protect his friend but Dragoon fired lasers at Zac knocking him down. Dragoon then threw Tyler on the ground hard face down and Tyler demorphed severely injured. Dragoon picked up Tyler's sword and stood over Tyler, kicking Tyler over as he told Zac, "This is what happens when your friends try to take my prey away from me. Say goodbye to your Red Ranger!" He raised the sword and started to bring it down with Zac shouting, "No!" but all of a sudden Dragoon stopped his attack, staring at Tyler's face who was staring back at him with wide eyes. "That face," Dragoon whispered. "It looks so familiar. How?" Zac heard what Dragoon said wondering, "Why would he stop his attack? Why would he recognize Tyler?" Tyler was wondering the same thing, "Why would this monster recognize my face?" But seeing an opening, wind suddenly pushed Dragoon backwards, dropping Tyler's sword and knocking Dragoon into a nearby trash bin. Dragoon stood up and saw Zac with his hand raised. Zac growled and said, "You will never harm my friends, Dragoon. If you do, I will unleash my wrath upon you or anybody that comes in my way."

Under his helmet, his eyes glowed blue as he raised his hand skyward as dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky. The other Rangers and monsters stopped their fighting as they looked up in the sky with amazement. "Where did these clouds come from?" Chase asked. Phillip suddenly realized who was doing this and shouted, "Zac! He's someone controlling the weather." Soon the wind picked up big time as the Vivix started to rise from the ground with Ivan shouting, "Hold on to something, my friends!" The Rangers held onto objects nearby that were bolted to the ground as the Vivix continued to rise off of the ground as thunder could be heard overhead. Suddenly hail came down and pelted the Vivix hard, destroying them. Curio shivered as he asked, "What's going on?" Fury looked over in the distance and saw the Aqua Ranger with his hand held up to the sky as Fury concluded, "The Aqua Ranger! He is more powerful than we realized." He tried to walk over, but then his feet were suddenly frozen to the ground and the ice climbed up until only his head was the only thing he could move. He looked over at Curio who had steam rising from his body then suddenly he caught fire and Curio ran around the junkyard, trying to put himself out. The other Rangers watched in awe and terror as Riley said, "We need to get to Zac before this gets out of hand." The Rangers slowly made their way towards Zac and Tyler, as they saw their leader on the ground, hurt and looking right at Zac, and Zac, who they guessed was glaring with glowing blue eyes underneath his helmet right at Dragoon, who like Fury, was covered in ice frozen to the spot, as he looked up at Zac and said, "What are you?" Zac smirked and said, "Your worst nightmare!" He pointed his hand at Dragoon, and suddenly lightning came down from the sky and struck Dragoon hard, shocking him to no end. The monster was screaming in pain as the Rangers watched in horror at what their friend was doing. Tyler grabbed onto Zac's leg and said, "Zac, that's enough. He's beaten. We've won!" Zac looked down at Tyler, then up at the other Rangers, who were looking at him in shock, and Zac stopped the lightning attack and the rain and wind died instantly, and the clouds disappeared. He picked Tyler up from the ground and said to Dragoon, "That should make you think twice about attacking my friends. Be sure to tell your master that." He turned and walked towards the Rangers and said, "We need to get back to the base immediately. Tyler's wounds are severe." The group nodded as they teleported back to the base, leaving Dragoon, Fury, and Curio with the aftermath of Zac's attack.

The Rangers appeared back at the base and demorphed, with Zac stumbling to the ground with Tyler as his strength gave out. Koda ran over and grabbed Tyler saying, "I got you," and put him on a table with Kendall running over and asking, "What happened?" Riley stepped forward and said, "Well, we defeated Nightmare, but then Dragoon showed up with Fury, Curio, and dozens of Vivix and attacked us. Dragoon split Zac off from the rest of us and Tyler went after them. Dragoon severely injured Tyler, then Zac…." He turned to Zac who was on the ground breathing heavily as he looked up at the group with a scared look in his eyes. He said, "I lost control. Tyler came over and defended me, but Dragoon overpowered him and hurt him. Then I just felt this rage overcome me and I unleashed everything on him and the other monsters. I wanted him to pay for hurting my friend. But I lost control and I gave into my rage. If Tyler hadn't stopped me, I would have wiped the floor of every monster there, including Dragoon. I'm sorry for scaring everyone." He put his head on his knees as tears came out and he sobbed hard. The others looked at him, never seeing him this vulnerable before. Shelby sat down next to him and said, "It's OK, Zac. We all have moments where our rage gets the better of us." Zac sobbed, "But I saw the way all of you look at me. I'm a monster, no better than the monsters we fight everyday." Ivan knelt to him and said, "Prince Zac. You are no such creature. You were protecting Sir Tyler. We understand that. We were just scared for your well being, Your Highness." Phillip sat next to Zac and said, "We believe in you, Zac. We know that you are no monster. You are our friend and comrade. We will never forget that." The others nodded as Zac dried his tears and said, "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

Suddenly Tyler started to cough up blood as the Rangers huddled around him with Shelby grabbing onto his hand and asked, "What's wrong with him?" Kendall scanned Tyler and said, "It's very similar to what happened with Zac last time. But since Tyler is human, his biology is different from Zac's and he can't handle the damage as much. He's losing too much blood and soon he'll go into organ failure." Shelby gasped and held Tyler close, tears coming out of her eyes. Zac stood up and said, "I can help him." He stumbled with Koda helping him up and said, "You too weak. Don't waste energy." Zac shook his head and said, "I have enough left to help him." He walked over with Koda's help and Zac put his hands on Tyler's arm, then closed his eyes. Then he started to sing:

 _Moonlight, gleam and glow._

 _Let your power shine._

 _Make the clock reverse._

 _Bring back what once was mine._

 _Heal what has been hurt._

 _Change the fate's design._

 _Save what has been lost._

 _Bring back what once was mine._

 _What once was mine._

As Zac was singing, his hands glowed and that glow went over Tyler's wounds and healed all of them up. When Zac ended his singing, Tyler opened his eyes and took several deep breaths. Shelby cried and hugged Tyler shouting, "You're alright." Tyler sat up and looked over at Zac and said, "Thank you." Zac smiled and said, "Just returning the favor." Suddenly he collapsed onto the ground with Chase rushing over and saying, "He's out of it. That healing spell must have taken the last of his strength." He turned to Zac and said, "But might I say you have a great singing voice, mate." Zac chuckled softly as he soon fell asleep in Chase's arms. The group chuckles as Kendall said, "Maybe we should all get some rest."

Later at the museum, Shelby was giving a tour saying, "So, you see, a fossil isn't just a rock. It's a story of life. The key to an ancient world that we're still trying to understand. Thanks for visiting the museum and have a great day." The tour broke apart as Shelby sighed. Suddenly she saw her dad standing where her tour group once stood and she shouted, "Dad?" She remembered that she actually didn't finish her test and said, "I can explain why I didn't finish the test. Dad. I could run Watkins Ice Cream…" Mr. Watkins put his hand up and said, "You know, Shelby, ever since I was a kid, having my own business was a dream from a little lemonade stand to multinational Watkins Ice Cream. But that was my dream. My passion. Not yours. Dinosaurs? Now, that's your passion." Shelby sighed and said, "I just want to make you and Mom proud." "Oh, honey," Mr. Watkins said. "Your mom and I could not be prouder." He hugged Shelby as Shelby said, "Thanks, Dad. Now, could I ask for one more favor?" Mr. Watkins looked at her curiously and asked, "What's that?"

Down in the base, the Rangers were doing various tasks as Shelby walked in with a box as Riley said, "Hey." She sat down and said, "Thanks for helping me realize that I need to follow my own dreams." Riley hummed and said, "So your dad's actually cool with you studying dinosaurs?" Shelby nodded and said, "See for yourself. It's from my dad." Riley opened the box with Chase's help and it was a cake. "It's an ice cream dinosaur cake!" Chase shouted, catching the attention of the other Rangers. Shelby nodded and said, "I may not run the family business, but I can still enjoy it." Koda almost put his face into it, but Shelby scolded him, "Plates!" Koda nodded and ran off to get plates as Zac sat down and said, "This is a pretty nice surprise from your dad. I'm glad you finally got through to him." Shelby nodded and said, "Thanks to Riley's words. And your experience." Zac smiled as the Rangers dug into the cake. But Tyler pulled Zac aside and asked, "Did you hear what Dragoon said when he tried to attack me?" Zac nodded and said, "It seems that he recognized you somehow. What I don't understand is why." Tyler nodded and said, "We should keep our eyes and ears open then. This situation just got a whole lot more bizarre." Zac nodded in agreement.

Over at Sledge's ship, Heckyl looked at Dragoon, Fury, and Curio with anger and yelled, "What happened? You were so close to having the Aqua Ranger within our grasp!" Dragoon bowed and said, "I almost did. Even when that Red Ranger got in my way. I almost destroyed him when the Aqua Ranger unleashed rage down onto us." Heckyl cocked his head as Curio said, "Just watch the video." He ran over and pressed some buttons onto the console as the video of Zac's attack came up with Heckyl looking at it in amazement. "Well," Heckyl said. "It seems we underestimated this Ranger a bit. He is surprising me more and more. Well, we can certainly fix that. Don't you agree?" The trio nodded as Heckyl excused them from his sight. Dragoon went back to his cell and pondered what he saw. "I don't understand. Why would that Ranger's face be so familiar to me? Whatever the case, I won't make the same mistake again."


End file.
